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I 






ROXY WAS TOO SURPRISED TO MOVE 




A YANKEE GIRL 

AT 

ANTIETAM 



Alice Turner Curtis 

v } \\ 


Author of 


“A Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter," “A Yankee Girl at Bull 
Run,” “A Yankee Girl at Shiloh” 



Illustrated by NAT LITTLE 


THE PENN PUBLISHING 
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA 

1923 










-p£\ 

X 


COPYRIGHT 
1923 BY 
THE PENN 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY 



A Yankee Girl at Antietam 

Manufacturing 

Plant 

Camden, N. J. 


Made in the U. S. A. 


OCT 12 L23 

©CU760303 

i l 


4 




CONTENTS 


I. 

Roxy and Polly . 




7 

n. 

Polly’s Return . 




20 

hi. 

A Paper Circus . 




31 

IY. 

Signals .... 




41 

Y. 

New Adventures . 




51 

YI. 

Roxy Makes New Friends 




60 

YII. 

A Rainy Day 




69 

VIII. 

Following the Brook 




80 

IX. 

Under the Sycamore . 




89 

X. 

Polly’s News 




102 

XI. 

A Triumphal Arch 




112 

XII. 

Startling News . 




124 

XIII. 

September Sixth . 




133 

XIY. 

Roxy Taken Prisoner . 




143 

XY. 

Roxy’s Ride to Sharpsburg 



153 

XYI. 

The Battle of Antietam 




163 

XVII. 

Polly’s Plan . 




175 

XVIII. 

A Visitor 

♦ 

• 


188 











Illustrations 

Roxy Was Too Surprised to Move. Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The Little Girl Looked from Her Mother to 

___ k 

Her Grandmother. 80 

He Lifted Her to the Saddle in Front of Him 159 




A Yankee Girl at Antietam 







A Yankee Girl at Antietam 


CHAPTER i 

ROXY AND POLLY 

Roxana Deleield, wearing a dress of blue 
checked gingham, stout leather shoes and white 
stockings, and a broad-rimmed hat of rough 
straw, ran down the narrow path that led from 
her Grandmother Miller’s farm to the highway 
leading to the little village of Antietam, Mary¬ 
land. 

The path curved about a rocky ledge, skirted 
a group of small cedar trees and reached a stone 
wall where there was an opening just wide 
enough for one person to squeeze through. 
Roxy thought it was a fortunate thing that all the 
people at her Grandmother Miller’s were thin 
enough to get through this opening, all except 
Dulcie, the negro cook, who declared her weight 
“ up’ards ob two hunderd pounds.” Dulcie, 
however, seldom left the farm, and when she did 

was obliged to take the longer way by the road. 

7 






8 


A YANKEE GIRL 


When Roxy reached the wall she climbed to 
its top and stood looking anxiously along the 
gray road that skirted a wooded hill, and in a 
few moments a brown horse, harnessed to a light 
wagon, and driven by a bareheaded girl whose 
red hair gleamed in the June sunshine, trotted 
into sight and came rapidly down the hill. 

“ There she comes! There’s Polly! ” exclaimed 
Roxy scrambling down the rough wall, and 
hurrying across the little field to the side of the 
road where she stood eagerly awaiting the ap¬ 
proach of her new friend, Polly Lawrence, and 
in a few minutes the brown horse stopped di¬ 
rectly beside her, and the red-haired girl called 
out: 

“ Here we are, little Yankee girl; jump in,” 
and she reached down a strong brown hand to 
help Roxy climb into the wagon. 

“ This is splendid! ” Roxy declared happily, as 
she pushed herself well back on the broad seat, 
and looked up admiringly at the tall girl beside 
her. 

Polly smiled, her white teeth reminding Roxy^ 
of the string of pearl beads that her mother some¬ 
times wore, and as she looked at her companion 
she realized that everything about Polly seemed 


AT ANTIETAM 9 

to hold the light and the glimmer of sunshine. 
Not only did Polly's waving hair hold golden 
gleams, but there were twinkling lights in her 
blue eyes, and her skin seemed to glow, and her 
teeth to shine. 

“ Oh, Polly! I do like to look at you! ” Roxy 
exclaimed ardently, and at this the older girl 
laughed aloud, and responded: 

“ Well, you can say as pleasant things as any 
Southern girl. Nobody would think you were 
born in Massachusetts.” 

“ Why not, Polly? ” Roxy questioned, leaning 
forward to look eagerly into her companion's 
face. “ Why wouldn’t anyone think I was bom 
in Massachusetts? ” 

Polly continued to smile, but she answered 
quickly: 

“ I suppose because you have such good man¬ 
ners. But of course your mother was born in 
Maryland.” 

“ Polly Lawrence! Stop this horse! Stop this 
minute! ” demanded Roxy, clutching at the reins 
and scrambling down from the wagon seat as if 
meaning to jump to the ground. “ I don’t want 
to ride with you. I guess Maryland girls don’t 
have all the manners. I guess little girls in 



10 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Newburyport wouldn’t be s’prised to have other 

girls polite. I guess-” 

But before Boxy could say another word 
Polly’s arm was about her, and Polly was say¬ 
ing: 

“ Oh, Roxy! I did not mean to be rude. Truly, 
truly I didn’t. I only meant to praise you! ” 

“ Stop the horse! I don’t want to go to 
Sharpsburg. I want to go home,” persisted 
Roxy. “ If my mother was born in Maryland 
she went to school in Massachusetts, and maybe 
that is where she learned good manners.” 

Polly’s arm released its hold on Roxy, and she 
brought the brown horse to a standstill. 

“ You can get out here, Roxy,” she said 
gravely. “ It won’t be far for you to walk home.” 
And without a word Roxy jumped from the 
wagon and turned on her homeward way. 

“ I don’t care,” she told herself. “ Polly Law¬ 
rence talks as if people in Massachusetts were not 
as good as Maryland people. She always calls 
me ‘ Yankee,’ as if I was an Indian or—or some¬ 
thing! ” and with a little sob, Roxy trudged along 
the road over which she had only a brief time 
before rode so happily; and on reaching the stone 
bridge she stopped and leaned against its rough 



AT ANTIETAM 


11 


parapet, gazing down at the slow-moving waters 
of Antietam River. 

For a little while Roxy could think only of her 
disappointment, and of Polly’s unkindness, and 
wish herself back in her own home in Newbury- 
port, where she had never even heard the word 
“ Yankee,” and where there were streets of 
pleasant houses, each one with its own garden, 
and where little girls visited each other every day, 
bringing their patchwork to sew; or if it was a 
“ special party ” the little girls would bring their 
fine dolls dressed in silk and muslin. 

Newburyport was very different from this 
hilly country where every farmhouse was built of 
gray limestone, and stood on sloping field or 
pasture, thought Roxy, turning her gaze to an 
opening in the distant mountains where range 
upon range of blue heights rose against the sky. 

“ I do wish we were home,” she whispered to 
herself. “ I wish there wasn’t any war! ” For it 
was in the early summer of 1862, when Northern 
and Southern States were in arms against each 
other, and when President Abraham Lincoln had 
fully determined to declare the freedom of 
negroes held in slavery. Roxy’s father was a 
soldier with the Northern Army in Virginia, and 









12 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Mrs. Delfield had taken her little daughter and 
come to her old home in Maryland hoping that 
her husband might secure leave of absence and 
join them. 

It was now nearly a month since Roxy had 
first seen Polly Lawrence, whose father’s farm 
adjoined the Millers’. Polly had at once made 
friends with the little Northern girl, and although 
she was nearly five years older than Roxy, she 
seemed to enjoy her company and had taken the 
little Northern girl on many a pleasant ride about 
the countryside, and on walks over the pasture- 
lands that stretched up the slopes behind the 
farms. It was Polly who told Roxy that the 
riVer had been named Antietam for an Indian 
chief, and that years before the white men had 
settled in this part of the country the Shawnee, 
Catawba and Delaware Indians, with feathered 
heads, painted faces, and clad in the skins of wild 
animals, had wandered along the banks of this 
placid stream and camped in the near-by valleys. 

“ But Polly has always called me ‘ Yankee 
girl,’ ” Roxy told herself, choking back a trouble¬ 
some lump that came in her throat as she remem¬ 
bered that she had quarrelled with Polly Law¬ 
rence; with Polly, who was nearly fifteen years 


AT AN TIE TAM 


13 


old, and who knew so many wonderful stories, and 
who sang such beautiful songs, and who owned a 
horse! Oh! There never was anyone like Polly, 
even if she did think Maryland people better than 
the people of Massachusetts; and now Roxy 
leaned her head on the rough stones of the parapet 
and sobbed aloud, and was so filled with un¬ 
happiness that she did not hear the sound of 
horses’ hoofs or the jingle of bridle-reins until 
two horsemen clattered onto the bridge close be¬ 
side her; then she turned quickly and gazed up 
at them in amazement. It was Roxy’s first sight 
of Confederate soldiers, and as she looked at the 
two war-worn men, in shabby gray uniforms, 
mounted on fine well-cared-for horses, it was no 
wonder that the little girl forgot her own trou¬ 
bles. 

So far, in the summer of 1862, the war had not 
pressed hard on Maryland; the state seemed 
chiefly a highway through which passed the 
Northern troops; and Polly Lawrence had 
seen many marching men crossing that very 
bridge. 

The two horsemen did not at first notice Roxy. 
One of them drew a paper from his pocket, 
opened it and said: 



14 


A YANKEE GIRL 

“ This is the road to Sharpsburg. I’m sure of 
it,” and before he could say more his companion 
exclaimed: 

“ Well, little miss! You look surprised! Have 
you never seen a soldier before? ” and he smiled 
down at Roxy. 

“ Oh, yes, sir! But all the soldiers I have seen 
wore blue clothes,” Roxy answered. 

“And where were these blue-clothed soldiers? ” 
continued the man, as he swung himself from the 
saddle and stood beside the little girl. 

“ They were in Washington,” replied Roxy, 
“ but I saw my father’s regiment when it marched 
down High Street in Newburyport! ” 

The man looked at her as if puzzled, and re¬ 
peated “ Newburyport? ” and then glanced at his 
companion who now dismounted and stood near 
his horse’s head. 

“ That’s not a Maryland town, is it? ” he ques¬ 
tioned, and Roxy eagerly replied: 

“ Oh, no! Newburyport is in Massachusetts. 
That’s my home, but my mother and I are visit¬ 
ing Grandma Miller! ” 

The two men glanced at each other in evident 
surprise, and the man who had first noticed Roxy 
said thoughtfully: 


AT ANTIETAM 


15 


“ I see! A little Yankee girl! ” And at this 
Roxy’s smile vanished. 

Yankee girl! ’ 4 Yankee girl! ’ I wish I 

knew why you say that? ” she exclaimed, her gray 
eyes looking steadily at the tall, gray-clad soldier. 

“ Oh, only because your home is in the North! 
I reckon your father is proud to be called a 
Yankee,” he replied kindly, and at this Roxy’s 
face brightened. 

44 Oh, thank you! Polly calls me 4 Yankee 
girl ’ and I didn’t know why. But I shan’t care 
now,” she said, with a friendly nod at the tall 
man. 

44 We might take a road that leads through the 
hills here,” suggested the second soldier, and for 
a few moments the two soldiers bent their heads 
over a small map and seemed to forget the little 
girl, who stood watching them wonderingly. 

44 Good-bye,” said the good-natured soldier as 
he swung himself into the saddle. 44 You will 
see more soldiers in grav clothes here before the 
end of your visit, or I miss my guess; eh, Rich¬ 
ard? ” and he turned to his companion. 

44 True enough!” responded the man; 44 the 
stars and bars will cross this bridge before many 
months! ” 




16 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ What is ‘ stars and bars ’ ?” asked Roxy. 

“ The flag of the Confederate States/’ an¬ 
swered the man, and waving their hands in fare¬ 
well they rode on. As they started one of the 
men began to sing, and the refrain of his song, 
“ Maryland, My Maryland/’ came drifting back 
to the little girl who stood looking after them. 

“ I suppose I’d better go home now,” thought 
Roxy. “ I guess my mother will be surprised 
when I tell her about the soldiers. I suppose I 
will have to tell her about Polly, too,” and sigh¬ 
ing deeply Roxy went on her wa} r toward the 
narrow path that led to her Grandmother 
Miller’s. On a farther slope the vivid green of 
young wheat ran up to meet the darker green of 
forest trees; flowering dogwood and redbud grew 
along the stone walls, and the purple blossom of 
the papaw showed here and there, and Roxy 
looked at these blossoms admiringly, and won¬ 
dered if they would grow in her garden in New- 
burvport. 

She was only a short distance from the high¬ 
way when she noticed something moving behind 
a thickly growing bush of dogwood. The 
branches bent forward, and Roxy stopped and 
gazed at it, half fearing that some wild animal 


AT ANTIETAM 


17 


was sheltered there that might spring out and 
seize her. As she stood ready to run the branches 
sprang back and a boyish figure crawled out and 
slowly rose to his feet. 

He was bareheaded, and his brown hair was 
long and rough. He wore gray shirt and trou¬ 
sers, and his shoes were so worn that they hardly 
covered his feet. Roxy was too surprised to 
move, but as the young man gazed toward her 
with a half-frightened, pleading look, she lost all 
sense of fear. 

“ Oh, what is the matter? ” she asked. “ What 
is it? ” 

“ I’m starving! ” came the whispered answer, 
and the young man sank down close to the 
bushes. “ I can’t go another step! Were those 
soldiers after me? ” 

“No! No! I don’t believe so. Come up to 
my grandma’s and you can have all you want to 
eat,” Roxy said eagerly. 

The young man shook his head. “ I must 
not let anyone see me. You won’t tell anyone 
about me. Promise!” he pleaded. “Promise 
not to tell a human being that you have seen me; 
and can’t you get me something to eat? I have 
a safe hiding-place near here.” 




18 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Roxy gave her promise promptly, and the 
young man urged her to bring him food as soon 
as possible, cautioning her not to let anyone 
know that she had taken it, and telling her to 
leave whatever she brought under the thicket of 
tangled vines and bushes behind which he had 
hidden. 

“ Remember not to let any human being sus¬ 
pect that you have seen a stranger,” he pleaded. 
“ I haven’t strength to keep on without food! ” 

“ I won’t tell! Truly I won’t! ” Roxy prom¬ 
ised; “ and I’ll come back as soon as I can,” and 
before the young man could reply she had darted 
off up the slope. For a moment the young man 
gazed after her, and then crawled back to his 
hiding-place. 

Roxy slipped through the opening in the wall, 
and then stopped for a moment and looked 
back. 

“ I wonder what he is running away from? ” 
she thought, and then remembering the thin face 
and the pleading voice that had told her of hunger 
and fear the little girl hurried on. “ I’ll take him 
some of those cakes Dulcie made this morning, 
and some milk, and some eggs, and everything I 
can find, poor fellow,” she thought pitifully. “ I 


AT ANTIETAM 19 

know my grandma would want me to take the 
things if she had seen him.” 

As Roxy ran aeross the yard Dulcie appeared 
in the kitchen door and called out; 

“ How be it you’s home so soon, missie? You 
ain’ been ter Sharpsburg, hab you? ” 

Roxy stopped and looked at Dulcie with so 
sober an expression that the stout negro woman 
became alarmed. 

“ Wha’s de matter? ” she demanded. “ You 
look’s if you’d seen a ghos’! Wha’s happen’ to 
you, missie? ” 

“ Nothing! ” Roxy replied sharply. “ I 
thought you were taking a nap, Dulcie.” 

Dulcie chuckled and nodded her turbaned 
head. 

“ Dat’s so! Dat’s w’ot I plan ter do dis minit* 
I’se jes’ on de way! ” and with another nod she 
ambled down the path toward her own cabin, and 
Roxy entered the kitchen. 


CHAPTER II 

polly’s return 

There was not a sound in the quiet kitchen as 
Roxy entered. For a moment the little girl 
stood still, listening intently, but the house itself 
seemed to be taking a nap in the mid-afternoon 
quiet of the June day. 

“ Mother and Grandma will be in their rooms 
now,” thought Roxy; “they won’t expect me 
home before the last of the afternoon. I’ll have 
plenty of time,” and she tiptoed across the well- 
scrubbed floor toward the pantry. Before she 
tried the door she again looked about the room 
cautiously, remembering her promise to the half- 
starved man who had trusted her, and fearful that 
someone might enter the kitchen before she could 
secure food and escape. Roxy knew that if her 
mother heard her Mrs. Delfield would at once 
want to know why she had not gone to Sharps- 
burg with Polly Lawrence, and even in the ex¬ 
citement of seeing the Confederate soldiers, and 

20 


AT ANT1ETAM 


21 


of discovering the runaway, Roxy had resolved 
not to mention her disagreement with Polly. 
Already she felt a little ashamed, since the soldier 
had said her father would be proud to be called 
a Yankee, that she had been so ready to be angry 
at Polly. 

But as she carefully opened the pantry door 
Roxy was thinking only of the poor fellow hidden 
behind the dogwood, and of what she could take 
him. 

There on the lower shelf of the pantry, covered 
with a white cloth, stood a platter heaped with 
small round cakes that Dulcie had baked that 
morning. Roxy carefully lifted the cloth and 
gazed at them admiringly. “And there’s citron 
and currants in every one,” she whispered to her¬ 
self, and carefully chose three of the cakes, and 
replaced the cloth. 

“I’ll have to have something to carry things 
in,” she thought anxiously, and her glance fell 
on Dulcie’s egg basket, where only three or four 
eggs remained. 

“ I’ll take that, and the eggs too,” she decided, 
and in a moment the three cakes rested beside the 
eggs, and Roxy’s eyes searched the pantry shelves 
for something more. 


22 


A YANKEE GIRL 

The meat left from the midday meal would, 
she knew, be in the cool cellar closet, and Roxy 
feared she could not reach the shelf on which it 
was kept; but the bread jar was close at hand, 
and removing the cover Roxy drew out an entire 
loaf of freshly baked bread. 

“ Oh, dear! Just bread and cake and eggs isn’t 
enough,” she thought. “ I must get him some 
meat,” and she left the closet and ran across the 
kitchen to the door that opened on the cellar 
stairway. 

A cool air came up from the dark cellar as 
Roxy groped her way down the broad stone steps, 
and keeping close to the wall felt her way to the 
deep closet where many household supplies were 
kept. 

It was hard work for the little girl to pull open 
the heavy door, but at last she succeeded, and 
stepped in. Dulcie always brought a lighted 
candle to the cellar, but Roxy had no light, and 
could only grope about. 

“ I’ll take whatever I find,” she resolved, 
clutching at something resting in a tin pan. “ I’m 
sure this is the chicken Dulcie roasted this morn¬ 
ing to have sliced up cold for supper,” she thought 
delightedly, thrusting it in with the bread and 


AT ANTIETAM 


23 


cakes. “ That will be splendid; and maybe it 
will be enough. I guess I won’t wait to get 
milk,” and Roxie left the cellar cupboard, the 
door swinging to behind her with a sudden bang 
that made the little girl jump with the fear that 
it might bring someone hurrying down the cellar 
stairs. 

But no other sound was heard in the house; 
and now Roxie could see a dim square of light at 
the far end of the cellar, and remembered that 
there was a cellar door leading into the yard. 

“ I’ll go out that way,” she decided, and made 
her careful way among barrels and boxes to 
where another flight of broad stone steps led 
directly up to the back yard, and in a moment 
she was again in the open air. 

The negro farm-hands were all in the fields at¬ 
tending to their work; the young colored woman 
who helped Dulcie in the work of the house had, 
as Roxy knew, gone for an afternoon’s visit to a 
neighboring farm; Dulcie was taking her usual 
afternoon nap in her cabin, and Grandma Miller 
and Mrs. Delfield were resting in their own 
rooms. Roxy felt sure that no one would see her 
as she now ran across the yard and down the 
rough slope. 




24 


A YANKEE GIRL 


She slipped through the narrow opening, and 
now walked more slowly, and looked anxiously 
toward the road, fearful that some passer-by 
might see her; and as she drew near the thicket 
behind which she knew the hungry man lay hid¬ 
den, she began to listen for some sound. Perhaps 
he would call out to her, she thought. 

But there was now no movement among the 
blossoming branches of the dogwood; and with a 
little sigh of disappointment Roxy set the basket 
down where the man had told her to leave what¬ 
ever she brought him. But she stood close beside 
it until a long brown arm reached through the 
underbrush and seized it. 

“ Bless you, little girl,” came a whispered 
voice. 

And Roxy responded eagerly: “ You are wel¬ 
come.” 

“ Don’t stand there! Run home. Somebody 
may see you,” said the voice again. “And prom¬ 
ise me again that you’ll be my friend and keep 
my secret, and never tell anyone that you have 
seen me.” 

“ I won’t tell; truly I won’t,” Roxy promised. 
“ But what are you running away from? ” 

“ From a southern prison. I’m a Yankee sol- 


AT ANTI ET AM 


25 


dier. I was taken prisoner at Manassas; and I’m 
sure those rebs on horseback were after me. 
Where is this place, anyway?” and now the 
young man pushed his head and shoulders out 
from behind the bushes, quite forgetting his 
cautions to his new friend. 

“ It’s Antietam,” replied Roxy; “ where do you 
want to go? ” 

“Anywhere where there are Yankees. I’ve 
been hiding in the woods and swamps for days, 
and I’ve lost my bearings,” he replied, as he 
pulled a leg from the chicken and began to eat 
ravenously. 

“ I’m a Yankee, and so is my mother, and we 
are living up in that house,” said Roxy, pointing 
toward the farmhouse. “ You needn’t hide,” she 
continued, “for I have heard my grandma say 
that Maryland is loyal to the Union. You come 
up to our house and Grandma will give you better 
things than cold chicken to eat; and—and”— 
Roxy hesitated a moment—“ I guess she could 
give you some clothes.” 

For a few moments the young man ate 
steadily; the greater part of the chicken disap¬ 
peared, and he had seized on the cakes before he 
spoke again. 



26 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ A Yankee girl, are you? Tell me your 
name.” 

“ My name is Roxana Elizabeth Delfield, and 
I’m ’most ten,” Roxy replied, and added quickly: 
“ My father is a Yankee soldier,” and now the 
young man fixed his glance upon her, and a little 
smile crept over his thin face. 

“ Seeing you is the first good luck I’ve had for 
months,” he said slowly, and Roxy smiled 
happily. 

“ Come up to Grandma’s,” she urged. “ You 
can rest, and then you can get some shoes; and 
then my mother will help you go wherever you 
want to. I know she will.” 

But the young man shook his head. “ I don’t 
dare take a chance. Someone might be on the 
watch for me. You keep your promise, little 
Yankee girl. Don’t speak of me!” and again 
Roxy promised. “ I can’t go on before to¬ 
morrow; I’m used up,” he added. “ I’m only 
resting here. I’ll have to find a safer place to 
sleep.” 

There was the sound of approaching wheels on 
the near-by road, and with a quick word of 
caution the young man disappeared and Roxy 
turned to see Polly driving the brown horse and 


AT AN TIE TAM 


27 


light wagon coming rapidly down the highway. 
Roxy ran toward the road so that Polly would not 
notice any movement in the thicket; and as Polly 
saw her she drew rein, believing that Roxy had 
waited to make friends again. 

“ Oh, Roxy! Have you been waiting for me? 
Well, you are a dear! And have you forgiven 
your Polly-Wolly for being so horrid? I’ll 
never call you ‘ Yankee ’ again.” And the smil¬ 
ing Polly leaned down to touch Roxy’s rough 
straw hat. 

“ Oh, Polly, I like to be called 6 Yankee ’ now! 
Two Confederate soldiers rode over the bridge 
and spoke to me, and one of them told me about 
Yankees, so I don’t care now,” and Roxy, with 
her flushed face and eager eyes, endeavored to 
return Polly’s good-natured smile. 

“ Those soldiers passed me. They are after a 
Yankee soldier whom they had held as a pris¬ 
oner,” said Polly. “ Poor chap! I hope they 
don’t find him.” 

“They mustn’t! They mustn’t!” Roxy de¬ 
clared so seriously that Polly wondered to herself 
why the little girl should look so unhappy over 
the possible capture of a man she had never seen. 

“ I reckon it’s because they are both Yankees,” 


28 


A YANKEE GIRL 

thought the good-natured girl, who was well 
pleased to be on friendly terms again with her 
small neighbor. 

“ Well, they said they were coming back. They 
might run into Northern troops if they went be¬ 
yond Sharpsburg. Here they come now,” and 
Polly drew the brown horse well out of the road 
as the two mounted soldiers, riding at a good 
pace, clattered over the bridge and stopped their 
horses close beside Polly’s wagon. 

The men touched their hats smilingly, and the 
man who had told Roxy that her father would 
be proud to be called a Yankee, said: 

“ The Yank has fooled us and got w^ell away, 
unless he’s hiding somewhere near at hand. You 
haven’t seen any half-starved runaway soldier 
about here, have you ? ” and he turned his sharp 
glance on the two girls. 

“Oh, no!” Polly answered. “We wouldn’t 
let any soldier starve in Maryland. But I 
haven’t seen anyone since I met you on the road.” 

The man nodded and smiled, and was about to 
ride on when his companion said gruffly: 

“ What about that other girl ? She’s a Yankee. 
Maybe she’s hiding the fellow, or else her folks 
may be.” 


AT ANT1ETAM 


29 








Roxy’s frightened glance convinced both the 
men that it might be possible the speaker was 
right, and when she turned and fled up the slope 
toward home they were sure of it, and in an 
instant both the men were off their horses and 
after her. 

“ If she reaches the house and warns him he’ll 
get away from us again,” panted the short man as 
he found himself obliged to climb the wall. 

As Roxy neared home she began to call: 
“ Mother! Mother! ” at the top of her voice, so 
that when she dashed into the yard with the two 
men close behind her not only Mrs. Delfield but 
Grandma Miller, Dulcie and two negroes from a 
near-by field were all hurrying to meet her. 

With her mother’s arms about her, and Grand¬ 
ma Miller facing her pursuers, Roxy began to 
feel less frightened. She heard the strangers tell 
their errand, and explain that Roxy had told 
them she was a Yankee girl. 

“ You are Southern soldiers and you will take 
the word of a Maryland woman,” said Mrs. 
Miller, “ and I assure you that neither I or any 
member of my household have seen the runaway. 
Beside that, even if we sheltered him, you have no 
authority to demand him at our hands, nor would 









30 


A YANKEE GIRL 


we permit such a thing. Gentlemen, Maryland 
is a loyal state,” and without waiting for any re¬ 
sponse Grandma Miller turned toward the house 
followed by Mrs. Delfield leading Roxy. 

The little group of negroes stood watching the 
two soldiers, 

“ If you asks me I’d ’vise you to put off out 
ob dis paht of de Ian’,” said Dulcie. “ Dar’s 
sojers in blue coats up Hagerstown way dis 
minute.” 

“ Come on, Richard,” said the taller of the two 
men, “ I reckon we’d better take Mammy’s advice 
and let the Yank go,” and they made their way 
down the slope, climbed the wall, and hurried to 
the highway. As they ran past the thicket they 
both shouted in amazement and anger, for the 
road was deserted. Not only had Polly and her 
brown horse disappeared but the fine saddle- 
horses were gone. 

“ That red-headed girl has made off with our 
horses, and for all we know may bring a party of 
Yanks after us,” declared Richard; “ we’d better 
make for the Virginia line.” 

His companion promptly agreed, and they hur¬ 
ried across the bridge, turned into a path that 
led by the river and disappeared. 


CHAPTER III 


A PAPER CIRCUS 

But it was not Polly who had made off with 
the two saddle-horses; for as the two soldiers 
dashed up the slope after Roxy the runaway had 
appeared from his hiding-place, carrying the loaf 
of bread in one hand, and had hastened to where 
the two horses stood nibbling at the wayside 
grass; without a word to Polly he slipped the 
bread into a big pocket of one of the saddles, 
seized the swinging bridle reins and mounted the 
horse, and leading the other, was off at a gallop 
down the road toward Sharpsburg. 

Polly stared after him until the sound of the 
hoofs of the speeding horses died away in the 
distance, and then turned her horse toward home. 
Her quick glance had noted the loaf of bread, 
and that something resembling the frame of a 
chicken bulged from the young man’s pocket. 

u He must have been hiding there all the time. 
I wonder where he got the bread ? ** thought the 

surprised girl, and she smiled at the thought of 

31 






32 


A YANKEE GIRL 


the two men who were in search of him and who 
had been so cleverly misled. 

“ If Roxy had known about the man and 
planned to help him she could not have done any¬ 
thing better/’ thought Polly. “ Poor little 
Roxy! They frightened her half out of her 
senses,” and Polly resolved to go over that very 
evening and see her friend and tell her of the 
hidden man and of his escape from his pursuers. 

But it was from Dulcie that Roxy first heard 
the news. Dulcie peering over the wall had seen 
the young man as he ran toward the horses, 
mounted and galloped out of sight, and when the 
gray-clad Confederate soldiers dashed past her 
she had chuckled with delight. 

“ Dey won’ be a-ridin’ off so gran’ as dey are 
spectin’ to,” she said. “ Wot dey mean anyway 
a-prospectin’ roun’ in Marylan’? Dis state ain’ 
fer upsettin’ de United States Gubbermint. 
’Deed it ain’t,” and Dulcie shook her head disap¬ 
provingly over the idea that Southern soldiers 
should so fearlessly enter a loyal state. Dulcie 
well knew that the great conflict between North 
and South meant not only the freedom of the 
negroes, if the Northern Armies were successful, 
but a united and undivided nation. Mrs. Miller 


AT AN TIE TAM 


33 


talked freely with her colored servants, and 
Dulcie was sure that whatever “ Ole Miss ” said 
was true; and she now hurried back to the 
farmhouse to tell the family what she had 
seen. 

Roxy and her mother were in the big sitting- 
room, and the little girl was still greatly excited 
over her encounter with the soldiers; and beside 
that she was fearful and anxious as to the safety 
of the Yankee soldier. She had not mentioned 
him, remembering her promise, and her mother 
and grandmother did not imagine that Roxy had 
ever seen the man for whom the two soldiers were 
searching. That she should be frightened 
seemed only natural, although Grandma Miller 
carefully explained that the soldiers would only, 
had they overtaken her, have questioned her about 
the runaway. 

“ I know it,” Roxy whimpered. “ I wasn’t 
afraid of them. The tall one looked like my 
father.” 

“ What made you run then? ” asked Mrs. Del- 
field, but before Roxy could answer Dulcie, 
smiling and bobbing her turbaned head, appeared 
in the doorway. 

“ What is it, Dulcie? ” Mrs. Miller questioned, 


34 A YANKEE GIRL 

wondering if the fleeing Yankee had been over¬ 
taken. 

“ De Yankee-man was hid up. Miss, down clus 
to de road; an’ when dose sojers come a-racin’ 
up de slope de Yankee-man put out ob de bushes 
an’ hists his-se’f on to one hoss, an’ he hoi’s on to 
de udder one and off he goes! ” and Dulcie 
flourished both hands to show how swiftly the 
fleeing man had disappearek 

“Oh, goody! Goody!” exclaimed Roxy, 
jumping up from the sofa where she had been sit¬ 
ting beside her mother, and running toward 
Dulcie. “ Which road did he take? Was he out 
of sight before the men knew he was gone? Did 
he get away? " she questioned eagerly. 

“For de Ian* sakes!” exclaimed the bewil¬ 
dered Dulcie. “ W’ich one ob dose questions you 
spect me ter re-ply to, Missy? You kinder be- 
willers me! ” 

“ Oh, Dulcie! ” and Roxy jumped up and 
down in front of the old negress. “ Tell me if 
he got away.” 

“ Ain’ I jes’ tole you? He got clare out ob 
sight, an’ he tuk de extra hoss! Yas’m, he was 
right clever, dat Yankee feller was. I spect he’s 
in Sharpsburg ’fore dis time.” 


AT ANTIETAM 


35 


Roxy smiled so radiantly as she turned toward 
her mother that Mrs. Delfield smiled in response, 
well pleased that her little daughter should forget 
the fear and excitement of her adventure. 

“ What became of Polly Lawrence? ” asked 
Mrs. Miller. 

“ Oh! Miss Polly jes’ druv toward home. 
She didn’ wait fer de gray coats to get back 
either,” and Dulcie went off chuckling with satis¬ 
faction. 

“ Well, Roxy, I think the Yankee boy owes 
his escape to you,” declared Mrs. Miller. 
“ Your running off made the soldiers think you 
could tell them of the escaped prisoner, and so 
they ran after you, and that gave the man his 
chance.” 

“ As if the child could know-” began Mrs. 

Delfield, but was interrupted by an outcry from 
the cellar, and Dulcie’s complaining voice as she 
made her heavy way up the stairs and came 
hurrying to the sitting-room. 

“ What can be the matter now? ” exclaimed 
Mrs. Miller, starting toward the door. 

“ Ole Miss—Ole Miss! We’s robbed! Yas’m! ” 
exclaimed Dulcie, nearly breathless. “ My roas’ 
chicken bin stole. Yas’m! An’ I cayn’t lay eyes 



36 


A YANKEE GIRL 


on my egg baskit, an’ my bread am took! ” and 
Dulcie stood rolling her frightened eyes and 
trembling with excitement. 

“Why, Dulcie! It can’t be! I have never 
had a thing taken from the house in all my life,” 
declared Mrs. Miller, and with Dulcie beside her 
she hurried off to the kitchen. 

Roxy gave a little exclamation, and Mrs. Del- 
field hastened to assure her that probably Dulcie 
was mistaken, and had forgotten where she had 
set the food. But the little girl seemed so 
troubled, so grave and quiet, that her mother felt 
anxious. 

“ Don’t you want to finish the ‘ Circus,’ dear? ” 
she suggested. “ You’ll need a herd of camels, 
several elephants, beside lions and zebras.” 

But Roxy shook her head. Not even her be¬ 
loved “ Circus,” on which she had worked several 

hours each day since her arrival at Grandma 

* 

Miller’s, seemed to interest her. When she had 
given the man the basket of food she had not 
thought of the fact that it would be promptly 
missed, and that Dulcie would make such an out¬ 
cry over it. But, as no special person was 
suspected of taking it, Roxy quickly decided that 
all was well. Dulcie would scold and wonder 


AT ANT1ETAM 


37 


about her loss, and Grandma Miller would en¬ 
deavor to find out who had really made off with 
the chicken, but no real harm had been done, so 
in a little while Roxy was quite ready to follow 
her mother’s suggestion and begin on the animals 
that were to be a part of the “ paper circus ”; and 
when Mrs. Delfield followed Mrs. Miller to the 
kitchen to find out what had really occurred Roxy 
was happily at work near one of the wide windows 
that looked across the green wheat field toward 
the distant mountains. 

A broad low table, that Grandma Miller said 
was Roxy’s table, stood near this window. It 
had two deep wide drawers, and the straight- 
backed cushioned chair in front of it was exactly 
the right height and size for a little girl ten years 
old. Roxy could lean on her table and look out 
over the pleasant countryside, and see a distant 
bend of the slow-moving river. 

She opened the upper drawer of the table and 
took out some squares of heavy brown paper, a 
pair of pointed scissors and a box of crayons; 
then Roxv ran across the room to a closet and 
opened the door and from one of the low r er shelves 
she drew out a thick book and carried it to her 
table, opened it and turned the leaves carefully. 


38 


A YANKEE GIRL 


It was a wonderful book! On the very first 
page there was a picture of an amiable lion, with 
his family resting* peacefully about him. On the 
next page were pictured a group of monkeys 
gathering cocoanuts, and further on were shown 
camels journeying across a desert; there were 
pictures of zebras, tigers, rhinoceros, and there 
were pages of wonderful birds with all their fine 
plumage. 

Roxy turned to the page where a tall camel was 
pictured, and then taking one of the sheets of 
brown paper and a freshly sharpened pencil she 
began, very carefully, to draw the outlines of the 
strange animal. Its queer head, long legs and 
humped back were easy to copy, and with a little 
smile of satisfaction Roxy held up the drawing 
she had made, and then, scissors in hand, she cut 
carefully into the paper following her pencil 
marks until a paper camel lay on the table before 
her. 

“ There! Now I can cut out two or three 
more from this one! ” she said aloud, and pulled 
open the lower drawer and placed the camel with 
a number of other animals cut from the brown 
paper. Later on Roxy planned to use all these 
paper figures in the “ Paper Circus/’ 


AT ANTIETAM 


39 


It was Grandma Miller who had suggested, 
during a week of rainy days when Roxy and her 
mother had first arrived at the farm, that the little 
girl should begin it, and told her that when her 
mother was a small girl there was no game she 
enjoyed more. And Roxy’s mother had brought 
out the “ Animal Book ” and shown Roxy how to 
trace the pictures. 

Grandma Miller had explained that the 
animals were only a part of the circus; there 
would be a clown, who wore strange garments, 
men who must be mounted on prancing horses, 
and all could be assembled in a procession. 

Grandma Miller knew just how to make the 
figures stand upright with clever little braces of 
stiff paper pasted on their backs; and Roxy’s 
mother had suggested that Roxy could use her 
box of colored crayons to color the lion’s mane, 
the stripes on the zebras, and to mark the eyes of 
the monkeys. 

As Roxy added the camel to the pile of figures 
in the lower drawer she thought happily that her 
paper menagerie was now nearly complete. 

“ Then I’ll cut out clowns and circus-men,” 
she decided, “ and then I can get ready to sur¬ 
prise Grandma,” for Roxy was making a plan to 


40 


A YANKEE GIRL 


celebrate her grandmother’s birthday, that came 
in mid-July, by an entertainment in which the 
“paper circus ” was to have a prominent place. 
Polly had promised to help Roxy with this plan, 
and no one else was to be in the secret. 

For the moment Roxy had nearly forgotten the 
adventures of the afternoon, but the sound of 
voices just outside the open windows made her 
jump up from the table and run toward the door. 

“ There’s Polly!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I 
hope it’s just as Dulcie said, and that the Yankee 
soldier did really escape.” 

Polly was on the front porch talking to Roxy’s 
mother, and as Roxy appeared she saw that Polly 
was carrying the missing egg basket, and heard 
her explain that she had found it near a thicket 
of dogwood as she came up the slope. 


CHAPTER IV 


SIGNALS 

“ Dat Yankee sojer took de chicken, an’ de 
bread, an’ de eggs; an’ I’m right shuh dat some 
ob dose cakes were tuk! ” declared Dulcie, as Mrs. 
Delfield handed her the basket. 

“No, Dulcie! No, he didn’t!” exclaimed 
Roxy, who with Polly beside her had followed 
Mrs. Delfield to the open door of the kitchen. 

Dulcie shook her head solemnly. “ Den you 
tells me how cum dat basket whar he hides hisse’f ? 
An’ you tells me likewise who did make off wid 
all my food? ” and Dulcie gazed so sternly at 
Roxy that the little girl began to feel sure that 
her secret had been discovered. 

“ Of course the poor fellow must have been 
half starved,” said Grandma Miller, “ but if he 
had only asked we would have gladly befriended 
him. I don’t like to think of any soldier slinking 
into a house in this fashion! ” 

“He didn’t! He didn’t!” again declared 

Roxy nearly ready to cry; for the little girl 

41 


42 


A YANKEE GIRL 


realized that the young soldier need not have been 
so hungry, so nearly starved, as he had declared, 
if he had been willing to steal food; and Roxy 
felt it was unfair that he should be thought a 
thief when she herself had taken the things. She 
well knew that she would be praised for carrying 
him the food, but her promise to the fleeing 
stranger that she would never tell anyone that she 
had seen him now prevented her from protecting 
his honesty. 

“Why, Roxv, dear! Who else could have 
taken the food? He must have crept in when 
Dulcie was in her cabin, and when you were rid¬ 
ing with Polly,” said Mrs. Delfield, putting 
her arm about her little daughter and thinking 
Roxy had not yet wholly recovered from her 
fright. 

Roxy looking up met Polly’s questioning 
glance. “ Oh! Polly looks as if she knew all 
about it,” she thought, wondering if it could be 
possible; but neither of the girls said a word as to 
the fact of their disagreement or that Roxy had 
not, after all, gone to Sharpsburg that afternoon. 
Dulcie had apparently forgotten Roxy’s early re¬ 
turn, and now reminded her mistress that supper¬ 
time was well past. 


AT ANTIETAM 


43 


“ Yo’ suppah am ready. Dar ain’ so much as 
dar ought ter be ’count ob dat Yankee a-stealin’ 
ob it; but I reckons you’ll make out,” she said 
soberly, and Grandma Miller led the way to the 
dining-room. 

Polly declared that she had had her supper be¬ 
fore leaving home, but she sat at the table beside 
Roxy and nibbled at one of Dulcie’s cakes. 

Grandma Miller spoke again of the young 
soldier who had caused so much excitement in her 
quiet home. 

“ He is in safety by this time; with two good 
horses he can soon reach Washington. I wonder 
if it was the Richmond prison from which he 
escaped? ” she said thoughtfully. 

“ My father thought the Confederates very 
brave to ride on so near to Sharpsburg in search 
of him,” said Polly; “he says they might easily 
have been captured themselves by some body of 
Union troops on the march.” 

“ Oh, no one ever questions the courage of the 
Southern soldiers; I should not be surprised to see 
an army of them, with General Robert Lee at 
their head, come riding into Maryland any day,” 
said Mrs. Delfield, but little imagining that be¬ 
fore many months her prediction was to be ful- 


44 


A YANKEE GIRL 


filled, and the courageous Lee lead his brave 
troops to raise the standard of revolt on Northern 
soil, and that along those peaceful slopes and in 
the valley bordering the Antietam River would 
rage one of the fiercest and most decisive battles 
of the Civil War. 

Nor could any one of the little group gathered 
that June evening about the table in the peace¬ 
ful room whose windows looked off toward South 
Mountain imagine that the young Yankee soldier 
who Roxy had that day helped on his way to 
safety would be one of the conquering army 
under General McClellan. 

Now and then Roxy and Polly exchanged a 
friendly smile, both well pleased that their dis¬ 
agreement of the early afternoon was forgotten, 
and when they left the dining-room and sauntered 
from the porch to the shade of a big butternut 
tree that stood a short distance from the house, 
leaving Grandma Miller and Roxy’s mother, 
Mrs. Delfield said: 

“ I am so glad Polly and Roxy are such good 
friends. Polly is such a sweet-tempered, good 
girl.” 

“ Indeed she is,” agreed Grandma Miller, 
“ and just the right companion for our impulsive 


AT ANTIETAM 


45 


Roxy who has not yet learned to think first before 
acting on an impulse.” 

“ But the child's impulses are all good ones,” 
replied Mrs. Delfield, “ and I believe in letting 
her follow them.” 

Grandma Miller smiled wisely. “ All the 
more reason, my dear, for being glad that Roxy 
has Polly for her friend,” she said. 

While this conversation went on the two girls 
under the butternut tree were making pleasant 
plans for the next day. Polly had made a 
wonderful discovery and was eager to share it 
with Roxy. 

“ Roxy, you know that from the end window in 
your chamber you can look straight across the 
fields and see the end windows of our attic,” she 
began. But Roxy shook her head. 

“ I can see the top of your house, but I don’t 
remember about windows,” she said thoughtfully. 

“ I’m sure you can,” Polly insisted, “ because 
I looked out from our attic and I could see your 
window just as plain as could be; and the muslin 
curtain blew out, back and forth, while I was 
looking, just as if somebody was waving it,” and 
Polly smiled and nodded as if expecting Roxy to 
discover some particular meaning in the waving 


48 


A YANKEE GIRL 


curtain, but Roxy’s gray eyes were fixed ques- 
tioningly on her companion and she made no re¬ 
sponse. 

“ Oh, Roxy! What a little owl you are! ” said 
Polly laughingly. “ Don’t you understand what 
the waving curtain means? Signals! ” and at the 
last word, Polly’s voice dropped to a whisper. 
But Roxy had sprung up, a little angry flush 
showing on her brown cheeks. 

“ I am not an ‘ owl/ Polly Lawrence,” but be¬ 
fore Polly could say a word Roxy had clasped 
the older girl’s arm, and was saying: “ Oh, Polly, 
I’ll be an owl if you want me to. I don’t know 
why I get mad so quickly! ” 

Polly put her arm about the little girl and said 
smilingly: “ An owl is the wisest bird of all the 
birds, even if he can’t see in the daytime! ” 

“ Can’t an owl see in daytime? ” questioned 
Roxy. “ Why can’t he? ” 

But at this question Polly shook her head. 

“ You’ll have to ask Grandma Miller; she 
knows all about birds,” she answered. “ What 
I meant, Roxy-poxy, was that you did not see 
what I was driving at about windows and cur¬ 
tains; if I can see your window-curtain from my 
attic windows w T hy can’t we have signals? If, 


47 


AT ANT IETAM 

for instance, I promise to come over here and 
can’t come I could fasten a white towel in my 
attic window; you would see it from your window 
and then you wouldn’t expect me.” 

Roxy’s face brightened with delight. “ Oh, 
Polly! you think of the nicest things! Why, we 
can have a lot of signals, can’t we? ” 

’“ Of course we can,” Polly agreed; “we can 
have signals that mean 4 come over this after¬ 
noon ’; and a signal that means a ride or a walk.” 

Roxy was now all eagerness to carry out 
Polly’s plan; and before Polly started for home 
the two girls had written out a set of “ signals,” 
to be carried out by white cloths fluttering from 
the upper windows of the Miller and Lawrence 
houses. Beside this Polly had suggested that on 
the following day they should go for a walk 
up the pasture slope beyond the Lawrence 
house. 

“ Maybe we can find a few late strawberries,” 
said Polly; “and young wintergreen leaves are 
just right to gather now. Your grandma would 
like you to bring her home some of those.” 

“ Yes, indeed! Will we meet by the big syca¬ 
more? ” rejoined Roxy. 

“ Yes, I’ll be there at ten o’clock,” said Polly, 


48 


A YANKEE GIRL 


and Roxy, sure that nothing would prevent her 
being there at the time, agreed promptly. 

The big sycamore was on the further slope 
from the Miller house that led up toward the 
Lawrence farm. It was a huge tree, that leaned 
protectively over a clear little brook that ran 
down the hills to empty into the Antietam, or as 
Duleie called it, the “Anti-eatem ” River. This 
tree was about half-way distant between the two 
places, and was a favorite meeting place for the 
two girls. There was a little hollow among the 
big roots well cushioned with soft, green moss 
where they often rested, and from this pleasant 
seat they could see two of the stone bridges that 
spanned the river. 

After a few more words about their “ signals,” 
and deciding that they would keep it a secret, 
Polly said good-night and ran down the path, 
while Roxy walked slowly toward the house, 
thinking over all the wonderful events of the 
day. 

The long June day had come to an end; the 
sun had set, and long rose-colored clouds lay 
along the western horizon; one faint star shone in 
the evening sky, and the fragrance of the white 
roses that grew about the porch filled the air with 


AT ANT IE TAM 


49 


sweetness. Mrs. Delfield was on the porch steps 
and as Roxy came toward her she heard her 
mother singing: 

" For life or death, for woe or weal, 

Thy peerless chivalry reveal, 

And gird thy beauteous limbs with steel, 
Maryland, my Maryland.” 

As Roxy heard the words of the song she ex¬ 
claimed: 

“ Oh, Mother! The soldiers in gray were sing¬ 
ing that very tune.” 

“ Were they, dear? Well, perhaps all the 
South is singing it by this time,” said Mrs. Del- 
field, a little sorrowfully, for her Virginia cousins 
were in the Confederate Army while her husband 
and friends fought for the Union. The song 
“ Maryland, my Maryland,” by James R. 
Randall, had been published the previous year, 
and its haunting cadences appealed to all. 

“ Mother! I hope the Yankee soldier is safe, 
don’t you? ” said Roxy, as they went indoors. 

“ If he is he ought to be grateful to you, my 
dear,” replied Mrs. Delfield, and a little smile 
came over Roxy’s face. She thought it was a 
fine thing if she had really helped a Yankee sol- 


50 


A YANKEE GIRL 


dier to win his freedom and reach safety. But 
Roxy was not altogether happy as she remem¬ 
bered that she had permitted the young soldier to 
be thought a thief. 

“ I know he’d want me to tell now,” she 
thought. “ It isn’t fair not to,” and in a moment 
she was telling her mother the story of the after¬ 
noon: her anger toward Polly, the first meeting 
with the mounted soldiers on the bridge, and the 
hungry runaway’s plea for help. 

Mrs. Delfield listened in amazement. 

“ I had to tell, didn’t I, Mother? ” and her 
mother promptly agreed. 

“ Of course you did, dear child; and I think 
Grandma and Dulcie must be told at once so that 
they may know the young man did not take the 
food. You did just right, Roxy,” and Mrs. Del- 
field smiled so approvingly that the little girl was 
no longer troubled, and went happily to bed with 
thoughts of all she would have to tell to Polly on 
the following day. 


CHAPTER V 


NEW ADVENTURES 

Dulcie chuckled over the story of Roxy’s 
carrying the food to the runaway, and Grandma 
Miller was well pleased that her little grand¬ 
daughter had realized the importance of telling 
what had really occurred; and Roxy was now 
eager to tell Polly, who she was sure suspected 
the truth about who had secured the food for the 
hungry soldier. 

“ Polly didn’t say anything about luncheon, 
but perhaps I’d better take something to eat in 
my basket? ” Roxy suggested on the following 
morning, as she put on the wide-rimmed hat of 
rough straw, and went to the closet for the small 
covered basket that she often carried in her walks 
with Polly. 

“ Dar ain’ no col’ chicken, Missy,” Dulcie re¬ 
minded her, “ but I reckon I kin fin’ somt’in’ ter 
gib you,” and she took the basket and started for 
the pantry, and Roxy was confident the little 

basket would be well filled. 

51 


52 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Roxy, basket in hand, trudged happily off 
across the pasture turning to wave a good-bye to 
Grandma Miller who stood on the side porch 
looking after her; a few minutes later the little 
girl was out of sight as she went down the slope 
toward the big sycamore. 

A little cloud of yellow butterflies floated over 
her head and Roxy stopped to watch their waver¬ 
ing flight until they settled over a hedgerow of 
bittersweet. She had started in good season, 
and realized that she would reach the big syca¬ 
more long before Polly; so she lingered along her 
way, stopping to gather a bunch of the orange- 
colored blossoms of butterfly-weed, one of the 
most gorgeous of the wild flowers of Maryland. 

The June morning was growing very warm 
and Roxy was glad to reach the shade of the wide- 
spreading branches of the sycamore, and taking 
off her hat she tucked the butterfly-weed blossoms 
under its ribbon band and gazed at them admir¬ 
ingly. “ I wish Amy Fletcher could see them, 
and the blue mountains, and the bridges/’ she 
thought a little wistfully. For Amy Fletcher 
had lived next door to the Delfields in Newbury - 
port, and the two little girls were fast friends, and 
Roxy often wrote to Amy telling her of all the 


AT ANTIETAM 


53 


adventures that befell her among the hills of 
Maryland. “ I guess Amy will think it is almost 
like a story when I write her about what hap¬ 
pened yesterday,” she thought, well pleased at 
having so real an adventure to describe; and at 
the sound of Polly’s well-known call: “ To-who- 
to-whoo!” she called back: “ Who-to-whoo.” 
Roxy smiled happily, thinking that no one except 
Polly and herself knew the real meaning of these 
calls. To any chance listener it would, the girls 
thought, mean the note of a bewildered } r oung 
owl, but the first call: “ To-who-to-whoo,” really 
meant: “ I’m on the way,” while “Who-to-whoo ” 
meant: “ I am waiting.” 

Polly now came in sight, her red hair shining 
as the light flickered upon it. 

“ Oh, Polly! How can you go bareheaded 
when the sun is so hot? ” was Roxy’s greeting. 

“ I like it,” replied Polly as she flung herself 
down on the soft moss beside her friend. 

“ Polly, you always look just right,” declared 
the admiring Roxy as she touched the loose sleeve 
of Polly’s tan-colored linen dress. 

“ If I look just right you talk just right, little 
Yank—I mean Roxy-poxy,” responded Polly. 

“ You needn’t have stopped at 4 Yank,’ ” 


54 


A YANKEE GIRL 


laughed Roxy. “ I like it, since the soldier told 
me my father would be proud to be called 
Yankee. And I liked the tall soldier too, even 
if he did run after me. Oh, Polly! It was I 
who carried the basket of food to the runaway 
man! ” 

Polly’s smile vanished, and her blue eyes re¬ 
garded Roxy sternly. “And you let Dulcie call 
him a thief! And you let your grandmother 
think that he crept into her house and stole! I 
wouldn’t have believed it,” she said. 

In a second Roxv was on her feet and had 
grabbed up her hat and basket. 

“ You are hateful, Polly Lawrence! Yes, you 
are! I don’t care if you are handsome. I 
couldn't tell because I’d promised not to; but then 
I did tell because I knew I must! So there 
now! ” exclaimed the angry girl, and without giv¬ 
ing Polly a chance to speak she dashed off toward 
home. 

But in a breath the long-legged Polly was after 
her and Roxv ran her best, resolved not to be 

•j * 

overtaken. But Roxy’s eyes were clouded by 
angry tears, and she stumbled over a trailing vine 
and went headlong, her basket flying in one direc¬ 
tion and her hat in another, as the prickly 


AT ANTIETAM 


55 


vines caught at her cotton dress and her out¬ 
stretched hands were scratched and hurt by their 
thorns. 

“Oh, Roxy! Roxy! I am so sorry,” ex¬ 
claimed Polly, endeavoring to pull away the 
clutching vines and lift the little girl to her feet; 
but Roxy struggled against her, sobbing with 
pain and anger: “ Go away! Go away!” until 
Polly could only stand back and let her alone. 

“ I am so sorry, Roxy! Do let me help you! ” 
she pleaded, as Roxy now scrambled to her feet 
and looked about for her hat and basket. For 
the moment she did not notice her scratched hands 
and the long tear in her skirt. 

Polly picked up the basket, whose contents had 
been saved by its cover from being spilled, and 
Roxy grabbed it from her before Polly could 
offer it, seized her hat from the thick growth of 
wild rose bushes where it had landed, and with¬ 
out a word or look toward Polly rushed down the 
path. 

Polly stood watching her for a moment, and 
then with a little sigh turned toward home. She 
told herself that she was the one to blame; that 
she had been unfair to Roxy, and that Roxy was 
right in resenting her words. 


56 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ Roxy is only a little girl; I forget that I am 
nearly five years older than she is,” she thought, 
and resolved that in future she would be more 
careful and patient toward this little girl from 
far-off New England. 

While Polly was making these resolutions 
Roxy had run down the path bordering the brook, 
hardly noticing the direction she had taken until 
she found herself beside a quiet pool where the 
brook widened. On the further side there was a 
thick growth of hazel-bushes, while the path ended 
at the edge of the pool, and just along the water’s 
edge beyond the path grew tall water-weeds and 
waving grass. 

A willow-tree leaned over the water, and Roxy, 
hot, tired and angry, sat down in its shade and 
leaned her head against its rough trunk. 

“ Polly spoils everything! ” she thought. 
“ She spoiled my ride yesterday, and now she has 
spoiled to-day! Oh, dear,” and the little girl 
began to whimper unhappily. 

But after she had bathed her hot face and 
scratched hands in the cool water, she began to 
feel less unhappy; and as she noticed her lunch 
basket a little smile crept over her face. 

“ I’m sure there are plum tarts in it,” she said 


AT AN TIE TAM 


57 


aloud. “ Dulcie always makes plum tarts on 
Thursday mornings.” 

In order to find out Roxy lifted the cover of 
the basket, drew out the white napkin that was 
so carefully folded over the contents, and looked 
in. 

“ Yes, indeed! Two apiece! ” she exclaimed. 

“Well, Polly can’t have even a taste!” she 
said, and helped herself to one of the flaky puffs 
that was well filled with delicious plum jelly. It 
was so good that Roxy promptly began on a 
second and had soon finished a third, then re¬ 
membering that it was not yet the middle of the 
morning and, unless she went directly home, she 
would soon be hungry again, she reluctantly 
pushed the basket away, and now her unhappy 
thoughts about Polly again filled her mind. 

“ I wish there was another girl to play with,” 
she thought a little mournfully, and suddenly 
exclaimed: “ Oh! There are other girls! There’s 
the three little Hinham girls! And their father 
asked me to come and see them. I’ll go now! ” 
And Roxy jumped up and seized her hat. “ I 
guess it wouldn’t look very polite to carry a 
lunch,” she decided, and so ate the remaining 
plum tart and one of the spice-cookies. 


58 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ I’ll come after the basket on my way home,” 
she resolved, and turned back and crossed the 
pasture to the highway. She knew where the 
Hinham house stood, a low, rambling building 
with shabby barns, nearly a mile below the bridge 
where she had encountered the mounted soldiers, 
but she had never seen the three little girls whom 
she had now set out to visit; but their father had 
come to the Miller farm one day on business, and 
on seeing Roxy had said that he had three little 
girls and that Roxy must come and see them; 
and Grandma Miller had politely responded that 
she hoped the three little Hinham girls would 
come and visit Roxy. 

As Roxy now trudged along the road, keeping 
on the shady side, she remembered this, and told 
herself that Grandma Miller would be pleased 
when she heard of the visit. 

“ Maybe I’ll ask the little Hinham girls to 
come to Grandma’s birthday party, and I can tell 
them about my paper circus. I guess Polly 
Lawrence will find I don’t have to play with 
her,” she thought, but someway even the prospect 
of three new little girls as possible friends and 
playmates did not make Roxy wholly happy. 
The remembrance of Polly’s radiant smile, of the 


AT ANTIETAM 


59 


plan of signalling from the upper windows, all 
the jokes they shared together and that no one 
else knew, crept into her mind and made the 
distance to the Hinham house seem very long’, 
and when Roxy came in sight of the lane that led 
up to the farm buildings she was not only tired 
but very hot and thirsty. 

“ Oh, dear! I hope they’ll ask me if I don’t 
want a drink of water,” she whispered to herself, 
as she left the highway and started up the lane. 

But Roxy had gone only a little way when the 
sharp bark of a dog, quickly echoed by several 
others, made her stop suddenly and as she looked 
up the lane she saw a number of dogs come dash¬ 
ing toward her. Their barks sounded verv 
threatening to the tired little girl, and for a 
moment Roxy was tempted to turn and run, but 
she was too tired, and she quickly remembered 
that these dogs must belong to the Hinhams and, 
as there were three little girls in the family, the 
dogs would not be surprised to see another little 
girl, so Roxy walked bravely on toward them. 


CHAPTER VI 


ROXY MAKES NEW FRIENDS 

A sharp whistle brought the dogs to a stand¬ 
still, and Roxy saw a tall boy come hurrying 
toward her. 

“ Lucky I was close by,” he muttered; “ those 
dogs don’t like strangers! Say! ” and he smiled 
approvingly on Roxy. “You had some courage 
to walk right along toward ’em! How’d you 
know they wouldn’t eat you up? ” 

“ I guess I was too tired to run away,” con¬ 
fessed Roxy, and before she could say that she 
had come to visit the little Hinham girls the tall 
boy exclaimed: 

“ I’ll bet you’re the little Yankee girl, ain’t 
you? ” 

Roxy nodded. She was almost too tired to 
speak. 

“ Well, we’re sure glad you came over,” the 
boy continued, his black eyes twinkling with 
friendliness as he clasped Roxy’s hand and led 
her up the rough lane. 


60 


61 


AT ANTIETAM 

“ My name is Roland,” he announced, “ Ro¬ 
land Hinham, and I’m the oldest of the family, 
nearly fifteen,” and he smiled again; and the tired 
Roxy thought the tall boy must be very good- 
natured; he seemed always smiling. 

“ My name is Roxana Elizabeth Delfield,” she 
responded, “ and I’m ten years old.” 

“ You’re older than my sisters. Jasmine isn’t 
nine yet, and Myrtle is seven, and Ivy about five. 
They are all little girls,” replied Roland. 

“ What pretty names! ” exclaimed Roxy ad¬ 
miringly, but before she could say anything more 
the three little Hinham girls came out on the 
porch of the house and stood looking at their 
brother and the little girl who clung to his hand. 

“ I’ve brought you a visitor,” Roland called, 
and in a moment Roxy found herself at the porch 
steps, and heard Roland say: ‘‘Jasmine, this is 
Miss Roxana Elizabeth Delfield, come to visit 
us,” and instantly the three little girls, each one 
of whom was dressed in a stiffly starched white 
muslin dress, made a curtsy to the newcomer and 
announced in soft musical voices: “We’re right 
pleased to see you,” and Jasmine, whose eyes and 
hair were as black as Roland’s, drew forward a 
small rush-bottomed rocking-chair and with a 


62 


A YANKEE GIRL 


smile as friendly as her brother’s said: “ Won’t 
you sit down? ” and Roxy, too tired to say a word 
in response, sank into the comfortable chair while 
the three dark-haired girls in their white dresses 
gathered about her, and looked at her a little 
wonderingly. 


Roland had disappeared, and Roxy began to 
feel that she ought to explain her torn skirt. “ I 
fell down and my skirt caught in some briers and 
tore,” she said soberly, holding up the skirt of her 
pink cambric dress, and looking at it a little 
sorrowfully. “ I guess my hands are not very 
clean,” she continued apologetically, noticing how 
neat and trim were the little girls beside her. 

Jasmine whispered to Myrtle who promptly 
ran indoors, followed by little Ivy, and Jasmine 
drew a chair close beside Roxy’s and said softly: 
Did you hurt you when you fell? ” 

Not much,” replied Roxy, feeling an un¬ 
comfortable lump in her throat, and beginning to 
wish herself safely home in her own chamber 
where she could rest, “ but I guess I’m tired. 
You see, I walked all the way from Grandma 
Miller’s. Your father asked me to come,” she 
explained. 

Jasmine nodded. “ He told us about you; we 




<c 


AT AN TIE TAM 


63 


were coming to see you as soon as our mother 
gets home from Sharpsburg,” she said, and at the 
sound of approaching steps she turned toward 
the open door that led into a big cool room. 

“ Here’s Nonny! ” she exclaimed, and a young 
colored woman closely followed by Myrtle and 
Ivy came out on the porch carrying a small tray 
that held a blue pitcher and a lustre mug. 

“ Maybe you’d like a drink, Missy? ” said the 
negro, and filling the glass with foamy milk 
handed it to Roxy who drank eagerly. 

“ Now if Missy’ll jes’ step in de house I’ll fix 
dat skirt,” suggested Nonny, and with Jasmine 
close beside her Roxy went in, and followed 
Nonny up a broad flight of stairs to a pleasant 
chamber, where Jasmine and Nonny quickly 
persuaded her to slip off the torn dress and take 
off her shoes and stockings. 

Nonny bathed Roxy’s tired feet, as well as her 
face and hands, brushed out the tangles of the 
wavy brown hair, and Roxy, curled up in a big 
cushioned chair, with her three new friends 
gathered around her while Nonny carried off the 
pink dress to press out its wrinkles, began to be 
well pleased that she had decided to visit the 
Hinham family. 


64 


A YANKEE GIRL 

Little Ivy had brought a family of dolls to 
entertain the unexpected guest; Myrtle had 
opened the lower drawer of the bureau and taken 
out her fine new leghorn hat trimmed with a 
wreath of pink rosebuds for Roxy to admire, 
while Jasmine sat close beside her new friend, 
watching Roxy with admiring eyes. 

“Your hair is so pretty,” Jasmine declared; 
“ it has little waves all through it, and you have a 
dimple in your chin, just as Ivy has.” 

This was very pleasant to Roxy, and when 
Nonny brought back the pink cambric dress, 
neatly mended and pressed, and she found herself 
being led down-stairs to luncheon Roxy had al¬ 
most forgotten her quarrel with Polly Lawrence, 
and was thoroughly enjoying herself. 

“ Father is away so Roland is taking care of 
things!” said Jasmine, as Nonny said lunch¬ 
eon was waiting, and Roland came into the 
dining-room and lifted Ivy to her seat at the 
table. 

Roxy was sure it was the best luncheon that she 
had ever eaten: the golden omelette, the delicious 
cold ham and creamed potatoes, the early peas, 
the plum jam and hot biscuit, and the glass of 
cool milk were all delicious to the hungry girl, 


AT ANTIETAM 65 

and she did not give a thought to the basket she 
had left beneath the sycamore. 

After luncheon Jasmine was eager for Roxy 
to try their swing under the big oak tree, and 
Roland was ready to send them swinging through 
the air until they declared themselves tired. 
Roland listened gravely when Roxy told of the 
two Confederate soldiers whom she had encoun¬ 
tered on the previous day. Roland knew well 
that the Union Army of the Potomac was mak¬ 
ing preparations for its grand assault on Rich¬ 
mond; he had heard his father declare that at any 
time Union and Confederate forces might meet 
on Maryland soil and a serious battle ensue; and 
as Roxy told of the fleeing Union soldier and the 
pursuing Confederates the boy wondered if the 
Southern Army might not be planning to enter 
Maryland. 

But Jasmine was greatly excited over her 
friend’s adventure. 

“ Why, it was really you, Roxy, who helped the 
man escape! ” she declared, looking at her new 
friend with admiring eyes. “ What do you s’pose 
his name was? ” she added thoughtfully. 

Roxv shook her head. “ I didn’t think about 
•/ 

his name,” she replied. 


66 


A YANKEE GIRL 

“ Maybe it was the Richmond prison from 
which he escaped,” suggested Roland, but Myrtle 
had begun to sing and Roxy was listening so 
eagerly that for the moment she entirely forgot 
the Yankee soldier. 

“ A-swinging, a-swinging, 

Under a rose-tree swinging— 

I saw a green fairy 
Who wore a gold crown. 

I heard fairy bells ringing, 

And fairies were singing, 

And dancing and bringing 
Fairy honey to the one 
Who wore the gold crown! ” 

As Myrtle sang she danced about the swing, 
followed by little Ivy; and in a moment Jasmine 
laughingly followed, all three of the girls joining 
in the song as they circled about the swing where 
Roxy sat smiling delightedly. 

“ Sing some more! ” she exclaimed, as she left 
the swing and danced on behind the others, and 
Jasmine nodded, and began: 

“ Every leaf on every bough 
Dances now, dances now.” 


As the girls danced they bow T ed to the left and 


AT ANTIETAM 


67 


right, with graceful movements that Roxy 
endeavored to imitate, and the group made a 
pretty picture. 

Roland had returned to his work, and when 
the girls tired of dancing Myrtle suggested that 
perhaps Roxy would like to see the dock of 
bantams, and led the way to the group of farm 
buildings at some distance from the house 
where Roxy exclaimed over the tiny bantam 
chickens. 

“ You can have a pair if jmu want them,” said 
Myrtle. “ When we come over to see you we’ll 
bring you a pair,” she promised. 

Roxy’s face flushed with pleasure as she 
thanked her new friend; and when they all wan¬ 
dered to the pasture that Roxy might see the 
three gray ponies that belonged to the little 
Hinham girls Roxy told herself that Jasmine and 
Myrtle and Ivy were the most fortunate girls in 
the world. 

“ You have everjdhing,” she declared admir¬ 
ingly, as they returned to the shady porch where 
Nonny promptly brought them glasses of rasp¬ 
berry shrub and tiny frosted cakes. 

“ Yes, indeed! ” said Jasmine, and Myrtle and 
Ivy both nodded and smiled. They felt rather 


68 


A YANKEE GIRL 


sorry for their visitor because she did not have 
a brother like Roland and small sisters to play 
with. 

The tall clock in the front room struck four, 
and, with a little exclamation of surprise, Roxy 
said she must at once start for home. 

“ Roland is going to drive you over; he said he 
would,” Jasmine told her, and in a short time the 
two gray ponies harnessed to a pretty basket- 
phaeton trotted up to the porch and Roland 
helped Roxy to a seat beside him, while Jasmine, 
Myrtle and Ivy all promised to return her visit as 
soon as their mother came home. 

“ It’s the nicest visit I ever had! ” Roxy called 
back to them, as the ponies trotted briskly off 
toward the highway. 



CHAPTER VII 


A RAINY DAY 

“ If you please I will get out at the bridge,” 
Roxy had told Roland, as the gray ponies trotted 
swiftly over the road that had seemed so endless 
a distance to Roxy only a few hours earlier. “ I 
left a basket near the brook, and I can go 
home across the pasture,” she explained; and at 
the bridge Roland bade her good-bye, promising 
that his sisters would soon return her visit. 

Roxy found her basket, and now hurried up 
the slope eager to tell her mother about the three 
little girls with such beautiful names: “ Jasmine, 
Myrtle, Ivy,” and Roxy repeated them over 
admiringly. Then the swing under the apple 
trees, the bantam chickens! But suddenly 
Roxy’s happy smile vanished as she remembered 
that she would have to explain how she happened 
to leave Polly and walk the long distance to visit 
three little girls whom she had never seen. 

And now Roxy remembered something even 

more important, and exclaimed aloud: 

69 


70 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ I promised Grandma not to go beyond the 
bridge unless someone was with me!” And at 
the remembrance of this Roxy sank down on the 
hillside. 

“How could I forget it!” she whispered. 
“And what will Grandma say? Oh, I can’t tell 
her! ” And now Roxy instantly resolved to say 
nothing of her visit to the Hinham girls or of her 
running away from Polly. 

“I’ll wait and tell Mother first,” she thought, 
and now went soberly on toward the house, stop¬ 
ping to empty her lunch basket for the benefit of 
a flock of chickens that w r ere running about the 
slope. 

It was now late in the afternoon, but no anxietv 
had been felt over Roxy’s absence. Believing 
her to be with Pollv Lawrence, Mrs. Delfield had 
not been troubled, and when she saw Roxy com¬ 
ing slowly up the slope came to the door to wel¬ 
come her; but before Roxy had reached the house 
one of the negro field-hands was seen running 
across the yard and Roxy heard him call out: 

“ Sojers! Sojers! A’army. Missus! Marchin’ 
down de road! ” and the little girl turned and 
looked eagerly toward the highway and saw a 
group of mounted soldiers, in blue uniforms, as 


X 


AT AN TIE TAM 71 

they rode swiftly down the road that led toward 
Harper’s Ferry. 

It was the 27th of June, 1862, and on that 
very day General Lee had driven the Union 
forces under General Porter across the Chicka- 
hominy, putting General McClellan on the de¬ 
fensive, and creating alarm as to the security of 
Washington; and the little group of Union sol¬ 
diers that Roxy now watched so eagerly were 
riding to join McClellan’s forces that were so 
soon to prove their unfaltering courage on the 
field of battle. 

“ My lan’! Ain’ w 7 e be’n seem’ sojers all de 
spring!” declared Dulcie. “’Tain’ no great 
sight on dese roads; an’ so long as de blue coats 
don’ run ’cross de gray coats I guess ’tain’ much 
’count! But jes’ s’pose dey happens to meet up 
wid one ’nudder some day long de Anti-eatem! ” 
and Dulcie shook her head solemnly, as Roxy 
stood on the porch looking after the soldiers. 

But the passing of the “ blue coats ” had re¬ 
minded Mrs. Delfield and her mother of how near 
they were to the scenes of the great conflict, and 
their faces grew sad as they spoke of the threaten¬ 
ing advance of Jackson’s Confederate army in 
the Shenandoah Valley, of the recent battle at 


72 


A YANKEE GIRL 

Fair Oaks, and of the new Commander-in-Chief 
of the Southern forces, General Robert E. Lee, 
an officer honored by every American, and fitted 
for the greatest command. 

Talking of these things they paid but little at¬ 
tention to Roxy, who went slowly up to her 
chamber and kneeling down on the window-seat 
looked off wistfully toward the Lawrence farm, 
and began to wish that she was on the old friendly 
terms with Polly Lawrence. 

“ Perhaps Polly is looking over this way now. 
I wish we had thought of a signal that meant 
‘ I’m sorry,’ ” and Roxy sighed deeply. Then 
she sprang up and ran to the corner of the room, 
seized a towel and hurried back to the window. 
She leaned out and waved it, and then fastened it 
to the green wooden shutter. 

“ That means ‘ Come over the minute vou see 

%/ 

this,’ and Polly will come. I’m sure she will. 
Polly never stays angry,” thought Roxy, and 
when her mother called her to supper she ran 
down sure that her quarrel with Polly was 
over. 

But it was hard for Roxy not to speak of all 
that had happened, and she was so quiet at sup¬ 
per, so ready to go to bed at an early hour that 


73 


AT AN TIE TAM 

her mother thought she must be tired out by the 
long day wandering about with Polly. 

The next morning Roxy was awake at an early 
hour. She could hear the sleepy notes of nesting 
birds in the trees near the house, and the voices of 
the negro farm-hands as they started off to the 
fields. Her first waking thought was the 
“ signal,” and in a moment she was out of bed 
running to the open window. 

“ There it is! There it is! ” she whispered joy¬ 
fully, as she saw the white signals fluttering from 
the attic window of Polly’s home. 

“ That means that Polly will come over as soon 
as she can,” Roxy thought happily, and when her 
mother came in at the usual hour she found Roxy 
dressed and ready for breakfast. 

She had put on a fresh gingham dress, and now 
remembered the torn pink cambric. For a 
moment she wondered what her mother would say 
to the neat stitches that Nonnv had set, but the 
sound of horses’ hoofs in the yard sent her flying 
to the window and at the sight of Polly on horse¬ 
back she forgot all about the pink dress and ran 
down the stairs and out to meet her friend. 

Polly smiled down at the little girl and said 
quickly: 


74 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ Everything all right, Roxy? Or did you 
want me for something special? ” 

“ Just to be friends!'’ said Roxy soberly. 
“ Can you not come in to breakfast, Polly? Do! ” 
she pleaded, and Polly instantly slipped from 
the saddle and said: 

“ I told Mother I might spend the day, for it is 
cloudy all along the mountains and that means 
rain; and it will be just the day to work on your 
circus.” 

A negro boy led the brown horse to the stable 
and Polly and Roxy went in the house. 

“ Polly’s going to spend the day,” Roxy an¬ 
nounced, and her visitor was warmly welcomed, 
and Dulcie brought in plates of steaming waffles, 
and Polly declared that Mrs. Miller’s bees made 
the best honey in Maryland as she accepted a 
liberal helping. 

Before breakfast was over it had begun to rain. 

“A fine day to put my quilt into the frames,” 
declared Grandma Miller, “ and Roxy can have 
her first lesson in quilting; there’ll be time for 
your paper animals this afternoon.” 

“ Yes, indeed!” Roxy eagerly agreed, “ and 
may I help you mark the pattern, Grandma? ” 

Grandma Miller nodded. “ I think we’ll mark 


AT AN TIE TAM 


75 


a ‘ Rising Sun,’ ” she said thoughtfully; and as 
Dulcie now brought the wooden quilting frames 
into the dining-room, and Mrs. Miller started up¬ 
stairs for the bed-quilt she had pieced of bits of 
gingham, calico and cambric, the two girls looked 
at each other smilingly. 

“ It will be fun to help quilt,” Polly said, and 
Roxy watched her admiringly as she helped Mrs. 
Miller and Dulcie fasten the pretty quilt to the 
frames, that rested on the backs of four straight- 
backed chairs. 

“ Now for the * Rising Sun,’ ” said Grandma, 
who held a ball of twine which she began to rub 
with white chalk. “ Polly, fasten the end of this 
twine in that corner,” she directed, and Polly 
promptly obeyed. “ You shall ‘ snap ’ the 
chalked twine, Roxv,” Grandma Miller con- 
tinued, as she drew the twine cornerwise across 
the quilt, and in a few moments Roxy was run¬ 
ning from one side of the quilt to the other, 
“ snapping ” the taut chalked twine as Grandma 
directed, and which left white lines behind each 
“ snap.” These lines ran from the corners and 
sides of the quilt to the centre, and made a pat¬ 
tern known as the “ Rising Sun.” 

When the marking was finished a thimble was 


76 


A YANKEE GIRL 


found for Polly and she took her seat beside Mrs. 
Delfield on one side of the quilt, while Grandma 
Miller and Roxy were seated on the other side, 
and Roxy’s first lesson in quilting began. 

“ Put your left hand under the quilt, my dear; 
now take as small stitches as you can directly 
along the chalk-line,” said Grandma, and Roxy 
began, thinking this was even more fun than cut¬ 
ting out paper animals. But Mrs. Delfield did 
not let the girls “ quilt ” long. She knew that 
Roxy’s arms would easily tire, and in a little while 
she asked Roxy and Polly if they would not like 
to go to the kitchen and ask Dulcie to make a 
honey-cake for dinner, and the girls were quite 
ready to do this. 

“ Can’t we help make the cake, Dulcie? ” asked 
Polly, and Dulcie nodded. 

“ I reckons yo’ can. De eggs has to be beat 
consid’bul fer honey-cake. Firs’ de whites has 
ter be all ob a foam, an’ den de yolks has ter be 
smoof as silk, an’ den yo’ has ter beat de butter 
so’s it mo’ like honey dan butter, an’ den-” 

“ Oh, Dulcie! Let me beat the whites! They 
bubble up so much like soap-bubbles,” said Roxy, 
and Dulcie brought out the egg basket and two 
big yellow bowls. 



AT ANTIETAM 


77 


“ Jes’ fetch two ob de biggest silver spoons. 
Miss Roxy. I don’ mak’ no cake wid common 
spoon/’ she said, beginning to break the eggs, 
while the girls hastened to bring the spoons. 

The big kitchen was a pleasant place that 
morning, and while Roxy and Polly beat the eggs 
and creamed the butter for the honey-cake Dulcie 
prepared vegetables and a chicken pie for the 
midday meal, and at last declared herself ready 
to “ mix up de cake.” 

“ I can hardly wait to taste it,” Roxy said, as 
she watched Dulcie set the cake in the oven. 

Before it was taken out Mrs. Miller and 
Roxy’s mother called the girls to come and help 
them roll up the quilt on its frames and set it in 
the hall. 

“ By the time you are ready for dinner the cake 
will be baked,” said Grandma, as the two girls 
ran up-stairs to brush their hair and wash their 
hands. 

“We will work on the ‘ Circus 9 after dinner,” 
said Polly. “ It is only two weeks before your 
Grandma’s birthdav, and there is a lot to do be- 
fore the 4 Circus ’ will be finished.” 

“ Polly! I know who I’ll ask to come to my 
4 surprise ’ for Grandma. I’ll ask the little 


78 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Hinham girls and their brother!” said Roxy 
eagerly, “ Don’t you think their names are 
lovely ? ” 

“ Yes/’ responded Polly, wondering a little 
how it was that Roxy knew the names of the 
little Hinham girls. “ Have they been over to 
see you? ” she asked. 

Roxy shook her head. She wanted to tell 
Polly all about her visit, but felt a little ashamed 
because she had started off so angry at Polly. 
Dulcie’s voice calling them to dinner sent them 
hurrying down-stairs, and Polly asked no more 
questions. 

After dinner the rain gradually ceased, and 
the two girls, sitting by Roxy’s table near the 
front window, were so busy with scissors and 
water-color paints, and with their plan for a 
birthday surprise party for Grandma Miller that 
they did not think about the weather until Polly 
suddenly jumped up and said: 

“ Roxy—Roxy! Here’s the sun shining, and 
the day nearly over. I must be off! ” and with 
Roxy running beside her Polly started for the 
yard to ask one of the negro boys to saddle 
“ Brownie.” 

“ I’m glad it rained! ” said Roxy, as Polly 


AT ANTIETAM 


79 


swung herself to the saddle. “And our signals 
are splendid, aren’t they, Polly? ” 

“ Splendid! ” replied Polly, and with a smiling 
good-bye she sent “ Brownie ” off at a swift trot, 
and Roxy stood looking after her. 

“ Nobody, no other girl, is like Polly,” she 
thought, remembering Polly’s unfailing good 
nature. “ Maybe it’s because she is almost grown 
up.” And then Roxy’s smile vanished. A whole 
day had passed and she had not yet found courage 
to tell her mother that she had forgotten about 
her promise not to go beyond the bridge, and had 
visited three little girls without being invited! 

“ I guess I had better tell her now! ” Roxy 
decided. “ It isn’t going to be any easier to 
wait,” and she went slowly toward the front porch 
where her mother and grandmother were sitting. 



CHAPTER VIII 


FOLLOWING THE BROOK 

“ And when are the little Hinham girls com¬ 
ing to visit you? ” asked Grandma Miller, as 
Roxy finished her story. 

“ I think we could have a swing fixed on that 
big branch of the butternut tree,” said Roxy’s 
mother thoughtfully, for Roxy had described the 
swing as one of the chief delights of the visit 
with her new friends. 

The little girl, leaning against the arm of her 
mother’s chair, looked wonderingly from her 
mother to her grandmother. Neither of them 
had said a word of blame; and Grandma Miller 
even nodded and smiled when Roxy had ex¬ 
plained that she did not remember her promise 
about not going beyond the bridge. 

“ Of course you forgot it, my dear, or you 
would not have gone,” she said, and Roxy gave a 
sigh of relief. 

“ Oh, I am glad it isn’t a secret any longer. 

80 





THE LITTLE GIRL LOOKED FROM HER MOTLIER TO HER 

GRANDMOTHER 





> 


AT ANT IET AM 


81 

I’ll tell Polly to-morrow! " she exclaimed, as her 
mother drew her down into her lap. 

Then there was a little more talk about the 
swing, and Roxy told her mother about the tiny 
bantam chickens, and that Roland had brought 
her as far as the bridge with the gray ponies. “ I 
won't forget about the bridge again," she declared 
earnestly, and her mother said: 

“ No one means to forget a promise; but we 
must think of some way to remind you of this 
one." 

“ I know a way!" declared Grandma Miller. 
“ Just wait a moment," and she went briskly 
across the porch into the house. 

“ What way do you suppose Grandma 
means? ” questioned Roxy; but her mother de¬ 
clared that she could not imagine. “ Unless 
Grandma means to tie a very long string to you,” 
and at this Roxy laughed happily. 

“ Here is something, Roxy, that will make you 
remember not to go beyond the bridge, and to 
keep whatever promise you make! Hold out 
your left hand," said Grandma Miller, and Roxy 
promptly obeyed, and Grandma slipped a gold 
ring on the little girl’s forefinger. “ It just 
fits! " she said smilingly. “ I thought it would! 


82 A YANKEE GIRL 

Now, Roxana,” and Grandma Miller’s voice grew 
serious, “ whenever you look at that ring remem¬ 
ber that it means a number of things: first of all 
it means: keep a promise; and besides that it 
means keep your temper; it is always a silly thing 
to get angry.” 

44 Yes’m! It’s a lovely ring!” said Roxy, 
sliding from her mother’s lap, and standing close 
beside Grandma Miller. 44 I’ve wanted a ring, 
and this is so pretty! ” and she held out her hand 
and looked admiringly at the gold ring with its 
chased pattern of roses. 44 Thank you, Grand¬ 
ma; I couldn’t forget now,” she added; and when 
a little later she went up-stall's she again fastened 
the white signal, meaning 44 Come over as soon 
as you can,” to the green shutter, and went hap¬ 
pily to bed eager for the morning to come when 
she could tell Polly about the Hinham girls and 
show her this wonderful ring that was to help 
Roxy remember her promises and keep her 
temper. 

Polly appeared in good season the next morn¬ 
ing, and listened smilingly to the story of Roxy’s 
... visit, admired the pretty chased ring, and asked 
Mrs. Delfield’s permission to take Roxy on a 
fishing excursion. 


AT ANT1ETAM 


83 


“ I have brought a luncheon, and we will be 
home early in the afternoon,” she promised, and 
in a little while Roxy was ready to start, and the 
two girls went off across the pasture toward the 
brook. 

“ Roxy, why don’t you have your 4 circus 9 
party under the big sycamore? It would be a 
splendid place. We could fix up a tent close by, 
just like a real circus, and have a picnic dinner, 
and plan it all without your grandma guessing a 
word about it! ” suggested Polly, as they came in 
sight of the big tree. 

Roxy eagerly agreed, and Polly pointed out a 
fine place for a tent, and said she was sure that 
her father would help them put it up. 

Then they followed the brook on up the slope 
and came to a thick growth of hazelwood, where 
Polly stopped to cut a couple of hazel-rods. 

44 1 have some white moths for bait, and some 
fishing-lines; and there are always trout in this 
stream,” she told Roxy. 44 We’ll have to keep 
quiet, though, when we begin to fish.” 

Roxy smiled happily. Polly had long prom¬ 
ised her this fishing excursion, and she was now 
sure that it was going to be a wonderful day. 

44 We’ll build a fire and cook the trout, won’t 


84 


A YANKEE GIRL 


we, Polly ?” she said, and Polly promised, and 
began singing: 

** I went into the hazelwood, 

Because a plan was in my head, 

To cut and peel a hazel-rod, 

And put a berry on a thread. 

“ And when the birds are on the wing, 

And flowers, like stars, are shining out, 

I’ll drop the berry in the stream, 

And catch a little silver trout.” 

Roxy stood watching Polly and listened 
eagerly. “ I wish I could sing that, Polly,” she 
said. 

“ Try! ” responded Polly; and she slowly sang 
the first words over and Roxy repeated them, so 
that by the time the hazel-rods were cut and 
trimmed and Polly had fastened the lines, both 
the girls were singing the old song. 

Then they made their way to the brook, and 
swung their lines into the clear water and in a 
short time Polly had caught “ a little silver 
trout,” and almost at the same moment there was 
a pull on Roxy’s line and she, too, had caught a 
fine speckled trout. 

It was Polly who re-baited their hooks, and 


AT ANTIETAM 85 

when they each had landed another fish declared 
they had enough. 

“ We ? ll find a good place for a fire and cook 
them,” she said, and Roxy was quite ready to do 
this. The shining gold ring on her forefinger 
made her resolve that she would do whatever 
Polly wanted to do, and she was sure that she 
would never again be angry at Polly. 

The rough pasture slope had many places 
where a fire could safely be lighted, and they 
selected the shady side of a towering ledge and 
Polly built up a three-sided oven of flat stones 
with another flat stone on top on which she put 
the trout. Then the fire was started and care¬ 
fully watched; the fish were cautiously turned 
from time to time and when Polly declared them 
nearly cooked the fire was allowed to die. 

Polly’s lunch basket was well filled. There 
were cream-of-tartar biscuits, ginger-cakes, a 
tumbler of strawberry-jam, and a bottle of milk, 
and the two girls feasted happily. But Roxy 
could not forget the plum tarts she had so self¬ 
ishly devoured, and she resolved to ask Dulcie to 
make some specially for Polly. 

The two friends now made further plans for 
Roxy’s circus. 


86 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ You must ask Mr. Greaves, Roxy, because 
he is the minister, and Mrs. Greaves is your 
grandma’s best friend,” said Polly. “ You and 
I will take ‘ Brownie ’ and drive about and ask 
whoever you want.” 

“ All the Hinhams,” said Roxy promptly. 

“ Of course,” Polly agreed. 

“ And you and your father and mother,” con¬ 
tinued Roxy. 

Polly nodded. 

“ And who else? ” questioned Roxy, adding 
quickly: “ I do wish my father could come.” 

“ Perhaps he will,” responded Polly, “ but I 
think with the Hinhams and Mr. and Mrs. 
Greaves it will be a real party. Where is your 
father, Roxy? ” 

Roxy’s face grew sober. “ We don’t know,” 
she replied. “ Mother thinks he may be with Gen¬ 
eral Pope near Culpepper, and she is hoping to 
hear any day that he can come and see us.” 

Polly made no reply; she had heard her father 
say, that very morning, that news had come that 
Confederate soldiers commanded by General 
Jackson were advancing against General Pope, 
and that a battle might follow. Polly knew that 
the city of Washington was believed to be in 


AT AN TIE TAM 


87 


danger of an attack by the Confederates, but she 
did not speak of this to Roxy. 

“ Do you suppose the Yankee boy that I found 
is safe now? ” Roxy questioned, and Polly as¬ 
sured her that the young soldier must have 
reached the Union lines. 

“ When your father comes you can tell him 
how you helped a Yankee soldier,” said Polly; 
“ it isn’t every girl who has a chance. I wish I 
could do something.” 

“ Well, Polly, perhaps you can. Grandma 
says that maybe the war may come right into 
Maryland,” Roxy replied, and the two girls 
looked at each other with sober faces; for even 
ten-year-old Roxy realized that the approach of 
a battle between Northern and Southern troops 
was indeed a terrible thing. 

“ I promised to come home early,” said Polly, 
“ so we had better start; ” and, making sure that 
the fire was out, the two girls started across the 
pasture toward the big sycamore where they bade 
each other good-bye. 

“ I’ll stop for you about three to-morrow after¬ 
noon, and we will drive over and invite Mr. and 
Mrs. Greaves,” said Polly. 

“ Yes, and the Hinhams,” agreed Roxy, smil- 


88 A YANKEE GIRL 

ing at the thought of the party under the big syca¬ 
more. 

As she followed the brook a short distance on 
her way toward home, her thoughts were of all 
that must be done to make the “ circus ” com¬ 
plete. She resolved to spend the rest of the 
afternoon in arranging the paper animals, and 
cutting out the ones that were not yet ready. 

But as she went through the opening in the 
wall and looked up toward the house she gave a 
little exclamation of surprise and entirely forgot 
about Grandmother Miller’s birthday surprise as 
she ran up the slope; for there were the gray 
ponies and phaeton standing in the yard, and on 
the porch she could see the three small girls in 
white dresses and a tall boy talking to her mother. 

“ The Hinhams! The Hinhams!” she whis¬ 
pered happily, and ran swiftly toward the house 
eager to welcome them. 


CHAPTER IX 


UNDER THE SYCAMORE 

The Hinham girls had brought the pair of 
bantams they promised Roxy, and Dulcie took 
charge of them with many exclamations of 
admiration and approval, as much pleased as 
Roxy herself, and said they should have a yard 
and house to themselves not too far from the 
kitchen for her to keep an eye on them. 

Roxy, looking admiringly at the white dresses 
of her little visitors, again decided that Jasmine 
and Myrtle and Ivy were the prettiest little girls 
she had ever seen. 

“ Our mother came home from Sharpsburg this 
morning, and she brought each one of us a ring! ” 
said the smiling Jasmine, and each of the sisters 
held out their left hand; on each tiny forefinger 
shone a chased gold ring. 

“ Oh! And my grandmother gave me one yes¬ 
terday! Look! ” exclaimed the delighted Roxy; 
and when it was discovered that her ring was 

exactly the same pattern as Jasmine’s, Grandma 

89 


90 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Miller smilingly explained it by saying that she 
had purchased Roxy’s ring in Sharpsburg, and 
that probably all the rings came from the same 
shop. 

“ There’s a secret about our rings,” Jasmine 
whispered to Roxy. “ Every time we look at 
them we are to remember something.” 

“And I have to remember something every 
time I look at mine!” declared Roxy, wishing 
that she knew what Jasmine’s secret was. The 
two girls smiled at each other thinking it very 
remarkable that not only their rings were alike 
but that each of them had a secret. 

“ Perhaps some day you can tell me what your 
ring means,” suggested Roxy. “ I’d just as soon 
tell you that Grandmother gave me my ring so I 
would remember to keep promises and not to get 
angry. You see,” Roxy continued soberly, “ I 
get angry before I know it,” and she looked 
at Jasmine as if expecting her new friend to 
be greatly surprised; but Jasmine nodded 
and smiled as if she had heard the best of 
news. 

“ Oh, Roxy! That’s just what I do! ” she con¬ 
fessed, and at this they both began laughing so 
that Myrtle and Ivy ran toward them to know 


AT ANT IET AM 


91 


what the fun was about. But the two older girls 
decided to keep this for their special secret. 

While the little girls amused themselves Ro¬ 
land had been telling Mrs. Delfield of the news 
that his mother and father had brought from 
Sharpsburg: of the battle of Malvern Hill where 
General McClellan had repulsed an attack by 
the Confederates. 

“ General Lee retreated toward Richmond,” 
said Roland, “ and my father said there were 
rumors that General Lee might march on to 
Washington.” 

“ That would mean bringing the war into 
Maryland,” responded Mrs. Delfield, and Roxy 
wondered if that would not mean also that her 
father would come. 

Roland said it was time for them to start for 
home, and no more was said of war. Roxy found 
a chance to tell Jasmine something of the birth¬ 
day party as she bade her good-bye, and promised 
to see her on the following day. 

As Roxy stood looking after the phaeton she 
happened to glance down and exclaimed: 

“ Oh! My dress is all gray and my stockings 
too! ” and she suddenly realized that her blue- 
checked gingham was dirty, that her hair was un- 


92 


A YANKEE GIRL 

tidy, and that it was the second time the little 
Hinham girls had seen her in that condition. 
“ And they are always in perfectly clean white 
dresses, and look just right,” she whispered to 
herself, and now made a resolve that the next 
time the little Hinham girls saw her she would be 
as neatly dressed as it was possible for a girl to 
be. 

Mr. and Mrs. Greaves and the Hinhams all 
accepted Roxy’s invitation to come to the surprise 
party for Grandmother Miller’s birthday, and 
Polly’s mother and father also promised to 
attend, and for the week following the fishing ex¬ 
cursion Roxy was very busy. Mrs. Delfield and 
Dulcie were taken into the secret, and if 
Grandma Miller sometimes wondered at Dulcie’s 
chuckles and mysterious nods and winks over her 
cake-baking she did not really imagine the reason. 

Every day Roxy was busy from early morning 
until late in the afternoon, either at work with 
scissors and water-color paints, or running down 
to the big sycamore to plan just where the tent 
should stand, and decide on the best place for 
Grandma Miller. 

“ There ought to be a special seat for 
Grandma,” she said on the day before the party, 


AT ANTIETAM 93 

as she and her mother walked up the path to the 
sycamore. 

“ Of course/’ Mrs. Delfield agreed; “and if 
it was right here against the tree she could see the 
guests as they came up the path and be ready to 
welcome them. We could make a seat of moss .’ 1 

“ So we could! ” exclaimed Roxy. “ There’s 
quantities of nice gray moss along the ledges and 
under the beech trees! Can’t we make it now. 
Mother? ” 

“ Of course we can,” said Mrs. Delfield, and 
they at once started off up the pasture slope and 
gathered armfuls of the clean gray moss from the 
ledges and under the beech trees and heaped it 
up to make a comfortable seat under the syca¬ 
more; and when they had finished Roxy felt she 
could hardly wait for the next morning to come 
when Polly and her father were to put up a small 
white tent for the circus. 

The morning of July twentieth was clear and 
pleasant, and Roxy was up at an early hour and 
ran to her grandma’s room to wish her a happy 
birthday. At breakfast time Mrs. Delfield gave 
her mother a pretty lace collar, and Roxy pre¬ 
sented her with a frilled white apron that she had 
made, and Mrs, Miller declared that it was 


94 A YANKEE GIRL 

the happiest birthday breakfast she had ever 
had. 

“ But I can’t imagine what ails Dulcie this 
morning,” she said. “ She has been talking to 
herself and chuckling as if something wonderful 
was about to happen! ” 

It was difficult for Roxy to keep quiet, and as 
soon as breakfast was over she ran up to her 
room for the boxes that held the paper animals 
and then hurried off toward the sycamore where 
she found Polly and Mr. Lawrence awaiting her. 
Mr. Lawrence had brought the white canvas tent 
and set it up on the smooth field just beyond the 
big tree. 

It was not a very large tent, and the girls de¬ 
cided to leave one side open. 

“ Then everyone can see in,” said Roxy. Mr. 
Lawrence set two flat boxes at the closed end of 
the tent, and Polly and Roxy brought ferns and 
wild flowers and fastened them over the rough 
sides and ends, leaving the tops of the boxes un¬ 
covered; for the paper animals were to be set out 
in a “ procession.” 

After Mr. Lawrence had set the boxes in the 
tent he bade the girls good-bye, promising to re¬ 
turn in the afternoon, and now Roxy and Polly 


AT ANTIETAM 95 

set to work on the circus that was to entertain 
Grandmother Miller and her birthday guests. 

The big elephants were to lead the proces¬ 
sion, and following these came four camels, sev¬ 
eral lions and tigers, zebras, a number of ostrich, 
and then a group of monkeys. Beside all these 
Roxy had cut out and colored several parrots, a 
bird of paradise and two peacocks with wide- 
spreading tails. 

“ We might fix a tree for the birds,” suggested 
Polly; and they made a fairy-like tree from the 
stout green brakes that grew near the brook. 
On the top of this tree they fixed the parrots, 
while the peacocks were placed at the foot. 

When it was all arranged the circus made a 
very attractive sight, and the two girls gazed at 
it admiringly. 

“ Roxy! It would be a good idea for you to 
dress up and be the manager of the show, and 
tell where all the animals were captured. That 
‘ Animal Book ’ tells, doesn’t it? ” said Polly, her 
blue eyes eager at the thought of an added in¬ 
terest for Roxy’s “ circus.” 

Roxy jumped about, delighted at this sugges¬ 
tion. 

“ What will I dress up in, Polly? ” she asked. 


96 A YANKEE GIRL 

For a moment Polly did not answer; then she 
said: 

“ There are some things in our attic that will 
be just what we want. There is a tall white hat, 
and a long blue coat with big brass buttons! 
And, Roxy! We can make whiskers and a 
moustache for you out of yam and tie them on. 
Then you must have a long stick and stand here,” 
and Polly placed herself at one end of the pro¬ 
cession of animals, “ and you must begin like 
this: ‘Ladies and gentlemen. First come the 
largest elephants in the world. I captured them 
in Africa-’ ” 

“Oh, Polly! Polly!” shouted Roxy, hardly 
able to speak because of laughter, “ that will be 
splendid.” 

“You must be serious and not laugh, remem¬ 
ber! ” Polly warned her. “ I’ll go home now and 
get the things. We must have everything ready 
bv three o’clock.” 

It was nearly noon when Roxy returned home 
and whispered to Dulcie that she must be sure to 
have the birthday cake at the big sycamore by 
four o’clock, and Dulcie chuckling with delight 
promised to be in good time. 

. As soon as dinner was over Mrs. Delfield re- 



AT ANTIETAM 


97 


minded her mother that they were to go for a 
drive, and had better start at once; and Mrs. 
Miller was surprised to find that her white horse 
was already harnessed to the tall buggy and at 
the door, and with a smiling word to Roxy, Mrs. 
Delfield helped her mother into the carriage and 
they drove off. 

And now Roxy ran up to her own room quickly 
followed by Dulcie with a big pitcher of hot 
water. 

“ W’ile yo’ is a bathin’ I’ll fetch yo’ white 
muslin dress. De ruffles all sets out as fine as 
kin be,” said Dulcie. 

“ And bring my bronze slippers and blue sash,” 
called Roxy, for she was resolved that to-day the 
little Hinham girls should see her in a dress as 
white as their own. 

“ Of course I’ll have to cover it all up for the 
circus, but when they come they’ll see me looking 
just as nice as they look themselves,” she thought, 
as she brushed her wavy brown hair until it 
crinkled and shone, and when Dulcie had tied it 
with a wide blue ribbon and fastened Roxy’s sash 
she exclaimed admiringly: 

“ Yo’ suttin’ly do look fine, Missy Roxy. Yo’ 
looks jes’ as if yo’ might a bin born in Marylan’! 


98 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Yo’ sho 5 does!” And Dulcie was sure no one 
could expect or receive higher praise than this. 
“ Now step keerful, chile! ” she warned the little 
girl, as Roxy put on a pretty leghorn hat trimmed 
with blue flowers, and started off for the syca¬ 
more. 

Mrs. Delfield had promised to bring Grandma 
Miller to the big tree at exactly three o’clock, and 
at that time everything was in readiness. 

The guests had been told to follow the path 
leading from the stone bridge beside the brook, 
and Polly, wearing a blue dimity dress with white 
collar and sash, and Roxy were ready to meet and 
welcome them and lead them to the seat where 
Grandma Miller would receive them. 

The guests, however, all arrived before Grand¬ 
ma Miller; and when Roxy led her up the path 
followed by Mrs. Delfield and Polly, and the 
smiling group greeted her with a chorus of 
“ Happy birthday,” she was as much surprised as 
Roxy had expected her to be, and seated herself 
on the cushion-like moss declaring that it was 
well worth while to be sixty years old to have so 
glorious a birthday. 

The tent was behind the tree and had not been 
noticed by anyone but Roland, and when Roxy 


AT ANTIETAM 


99 


and Polly suddenly disappeared Roland was 
the only one who suspected that a real surprise 
was in store for the members of the birthday 
party. 

It was Polly who announced the “ circus.” 
Making a pretty curtsy to Mrs. Miller and then 
to the guests, she said: 

“ In honor of Mrs. Miller’s birthday I have the 
pleasure of announcing that Signor Delroxana 
has brought his menagerie of trained beasts and 
birds. If you will kindly follow me,” and tak¬ 
ing Grandma Miller by the hand Polly led the 
way to the open tent where a strange little figure 
in a tall white hat, a blue coat that trailed on the 
ground, and whose face was nearly covered with 
a beard of curly brown yarn, stood ready to in¬ 
troduce the animals and tell of their capture in 
far-off lands. 

Roxy did not laugh once, as in a gruff voice 
she named each group of animals and birds; but 
her listeners found it difficult to keep quiet, and 
Roland whispered to his mother that it was the 
funniest thing he had ever seen, and the minister 
said it was very instructive as well as amusing, 
while Grandma Miller laughed until she had to 
wipe the tears from her eyes. 



' V) J 


100 


A YANKEE GIRL 

Dulcie, standing near the little Hinham girls, 
was the only sober person in the audience. 

“ Dat ruffle-muslin; I reckon’s it look like a rag 
’fore dis! My Ian’! Wot good fer Missy Roxy 
to kiver up her fine clo’es dis way,” she muttered 
disapprovingly. 

After Roxv had finished and taken off the coat, 
hat and whiskers, her grandmother said that her 
little granddaughter must sit beside her on the fine 
seat of moss; and Dulcie brought the huge birth¬ 
day cake which Grandma cut, and Roxy was de¬ 
lighted to carry the plates to the smiling guests 
who were gathered in the shade of the big syca¬ 
more. There were pitchers filled with raspberry 
shrub, and various sorts of tempting cakes handed 
about by a smiling negro girl who had come to 
help Dulcie; and when Roxy saw the abundance 
of plum tarts, exactly like the ones she had eaten 
on the day she had quarrelled with Polly, she 
smiled happily, and felt that nothing was lacking. 

It was sunset before the guests started for 
home, and as Roxy, hand in hand with Grandma 
Miller, walked up the slope toward home she 
thought it had been the happiest day she remem¬ 
bered. 

“ Everybody had a good time, didn’t they, 


AT ANT1ETAM 101 

Grandma? ” she asked eagerly, as they sat down 
on the porch. 

“ Indeed they did, Roxy; and I was proud in¬ 
deed that my little granddaughter could plan and 
carry out so fine an entertainment.” 

Roxy’s face flushed happily. It was pleasant 
to have Grandmother praise her. 

“ Polly!” she exclaimed suddenly, remember¬ 
ing all Polly’s suggestions and help. “ It was 
Polly did the best of the circus! ” 

“ I am sure Polly helped what she could,” re¬ 
plied Grandma Miller. 


CHAPTER X 


polly’s news 

A few days after the birthday party one of the 
negro servants brought a stout rope from the 
storehouse and fixed a swing from the branch of 
the big butternut tree that grew near the house. 
A smooth board for a seat was notched and fitted 
to the rope, and Grandma Miller came out to give 
Roxy the first swing. 

As Roxy found herself flying through the air 
so that her feet touched the leaves of the tree’s 
lofty branches she laughed with delight; and as 
the swing slowed down and only moved evenly 
back and forth she called: 

“ Grandma, I can see way down to the river. 
Grandma, where does the river come from? ” 

“ It rises in Pennsylvania, and empties into the 
Potomac just below Sharpsburg,” replied Mrs. 
Miller, who had seated herself at the foot of the 
big tree and now looked off toward the peaceful 
Antietam, the slopes of South Mountain, and the 

fields of growing wheat. Grandma Miller knew 

102 


AT AN TIE TAM 


103 


many stories of this valley, and had told Roxy 
of the days of the French and Indian War when 
the settlers along the Antietam were raided by 
the Indian allies of the French until they fled to 
Fredericktown for protection, and for years the 
fertile fields were deserted. 

Braddock’s army had passed through this val¬ 
ley; and, before the American Revolution, set¬ 
tlers returned to their homes, and farms again 
prospered, and people lived in safety. But 
Grandma Miller was not thinking of those far- 
off wars; for, as the summer of 1862 advanced, 
the people of Maryland knew that the national 
capital was in danger, that at any time Southern 
troops might sweep into Maryland; and as Mrs. 
Miller looked toward South Mountain she won¬ 
dered how long this safety and peace would con¬ 
tinue, and where Roxy’s father was on that 
August morning. 

She said nothing to Roxy of these matters, but 
the little girl knew how anxiously her mother 
awaited news from her soldier father, and now as 
she noticed how grave her grandma’s face was 
as she looked off across the fields Roxy became 
sure that Grandma Miller was thinking of the 
war, and of her father, and she said softly: 


104 


A YANKEE GIRL 

“ Grandma, don’t you s’pose my father is ever 
coming to see us? ” and she let the swing come 
nearly to a standstill. 

“ I hope so, Roxy! But we cannot get news of 
him. The last we heard was that his regiment 
was with General Pope. But that was weeks 
ago. It is August now, and we hear only rumors. 
It may be that some day your father will come 
riding over the bridge and tell us all his adven¬ 
tures.” 

“ I wish he would come soon,” said Roxy so¬ 
berly, and she resolved to watch the bridge so that 
she might be the first one to see her father. 

“ I believe it would be a good plan to have a 
seat built around this tree,” said Grandma Miller, 
as she started to return to the house. “ It is 
cooler here than on the porch, and it would be a 
good place for you to bring your dolls for tea- 
parties.” 

“Yes, indeed,” replied Roxy, “and I could 
have my ‘ circus 9 animals" march right around 
the tree. Perhaps I could have a doll’s party, 
and ask the little Hinham girls to bring all their 
dolls!” 

“ You could indeed, my dear, and I will have 
Jacob make the seat this very day. We will have 


AT ANTIETAM 105 

a good wide seat,” said Grandma, and with a 
smiling nod she went toward the house. 

Roxy, looking after her, told herself that 
Grandma Miller was exactly the kind of a grand¬ 
mother that every little girl ought to have. 

“ She doesn’t put things off until next year; 
she has them done right away,” Roxy thought 
approvingly. 

The shining gold ring on her forefinger re¬ 
minded her again of Grandma’s warning that it 
was usually “ silly to be angry,” and Roxy 
smiled, for only yesterday the little ring had 
prevented her from again being vexed at 
Polly. 

“ I’m never going to quarrel with Polly; she 
never quarrels back,” she said aloud. 

“ That’s because she is fourteen years old,” 
came the laughing response, and the surprised 
Roxy nearly fell from the swing when she found 
Polly standing close beside her. 

“ Oh, Polly! I am going to be just like you 
when I am fourteen! ” declared Roxy, but Polly 
shook her head. 

“You won’t have red hair,” she responded; 
“ but what a fine swing! ” and she looked at the 
long stout ropes, and then off across the quiet 


100 


A YANKEE GIRL 


valley, and Roxy noticed that her friend’s face 
was very sober. 

“ What’s the matter, Polly? ” she asked. 

“ Oh, Roxy! My father has started to join 
McClellan’s army, and Mr. Greaves has gone 
with him and Mr. Hinham. They went early this 
morning. There is news that the Confederate 
soldiers under General Jackson are advancing 
against General Pope’s army, and-” 

But before Polly could say another word Roxy 
was out of the swing exclaiming: 

“ My father is with General Pope! Oh, 
Polly!” 

Polly’s arm was about Roxy’s shoulders and 
for a moment the little Yankee girl and the Mary¬ 
land girl stood looking into each other’s eyes. 

“ Yes, Roxy. But isn’t it splendid that our 
fathers are both fighting in the Union Army? ” 
said Polly. “ I came over to tell you about it.” 

The two girls turned silently toward the house, 
and Roxy’s thoughts were no longer about a 
doll’s party under the big tree; she could think 
onlv of her soldier father. 

“ It’s no use for me to watch the bridge now, 
is it, Polly? I don’t suppose my father will come 
for weeks and weeks! ” she said mournfully. 



AT ANTIETAM 


107 


“ Perhaps he will come any day,” declared 
Polly. “Anyway you had better watch.” 

Neither Mrs. Miller nor Mrs. Delfield seemed 
surprised by Polly’s news. In fact on the day 
of the surprise party Mr. Greaves had told them 
that a number of Antietam men were preparing 
to start for Alexandria where McClellan’s forces 
were encamped; and they now encouraged Polly 
to believe that her father and his friends would 
not be in immediate danger. 

Polly could not stay long. 

“ Now Father is gone I’ll have to work more 
steadily,” she said gravely. “ I am to help 
in the garden and look after the chickens, so I 
can’t come over very often.” 

Roxy looked so mournful at this that Polly 
promptly added: “ But we can signal to each 
other every morning, Roxy; so if I have time we 
can meet at the big sycamore,” and at this Roxy’s 
face brightened. 

“ Couldn’t I come over and help you, Polly? ” 
she asked hopefully. 

But Mrs. Miller declared that Roxy could not 
be spared. 

“We must finish the quilt, and start a box of 
things for the soldiers and you can help a great 


108 


A YANKEE GIRL 


deal,” she said; and that afternoon the quilting- 
frame was again set up in the dining-room, and 
Roxy, seated beside Grandma Miller, did her best 
to set every stitch evenly, and was well pleased 
when her mother praised her work, saying that 
Roxy could quilt as well as her own mother. 

While Roxy had been helping on the quilt 
Jacob had been busy making the wide seat around 
the butternut tree, and when the little girl came 
out on the porch in the late afternoon he called 
to her to come and see it. 

Jacob was Dulcie’s husband, a good-natured 
negro who had charge of the farm work, and who 
could do many useful things; and when Roxy ran 
toward the tree he pointed to the wide seat he had 
just finished and said proudly: 

“Dar! Dat seat am as solid as dis earth. 
Dat am a fine seat, Missy.” 

“Yes, indeed, Jacob! And I am going to 
bring my circus animals out and have them march 
around the tree,” said Roxy. “ Wait a minute, 
Jacob, and I’ll fetch them.” 

“ I should admire ter see dat circus, an’ so’d 
all de niggers! ” responded the man eagerly. 
“ If vo’ ain’ no objection, Missy, I’d like ter hab 
Dulcie an’ May-Rose an’ de men wot helps me, 


AT ANTIETAM 


109 


step up here an’ see yo’ animals, an* hear yo’ tell 
’bout ’em? ” and Jacob looked pleadingly toward 
Roxy. 

“ Yes, Jacob! Ask them all to come,” replied 
Roxy, running toward the house, while Jacob 
hurried off toward the cabins where the negroes 
lived to tell them of the entertainment in store for 
them. 

Roxy carried the boxes containing the paper 
animals to the wide seat and had them all ar¬ 
ranged in a procession when she heard the chatter 
of the negroes as they came toward the tree. 

Jacob was a little in advance of the others; 
and although Dulcie announced that by rights she 
ought to have charge of “ dis gatherin’,” Jacob 
paid no attention to her remarks, and told each 
one of the servants where they were to stand. 

“ We’s all ready. Missy,” he announced, smil¬ 
ing delightedly as his glance rested on the 

it • 

circus. 

Roxy smiled in response, as she stood by the 
seat holding the same hazel-rod that she had used 
on the day of the party. 

“ We will begin with the elephants,” she said, 
“ and as I go around the tree please follow me.” 

“Yas, yas, indeed. Missy Roxy,” came the 


110 


A YANKEE GIRL 

reply from the delighted negroes, and Roxy 
pointed out elephants, camels and zebras, and 
told briefly where such animals lived, and some- 
thing of their habits that she had learned from 
the big red-covered book in Grandma’s book- 
closet. 

There were many exclamations of wonder and 
surprise, and, when Roxy finished, a chorus of 
thanks, and Grandma Miller and Roxy’s mother 
came down from the porch and told Dulcie to 
serve everyone with an extra good supper that 
night. “ And remember it is a treat from Miss 
Roxy,” she added smilingly; and Roxy again 
thought that her grandmother was a pattern for 
all grandmothers to follow, as the well-pleased 
negroes followed Dulcie toward the kitchen. 

“ It was fun to show them the circus,” Roxy 
declared, her eyes shining with delight, as her 
mother helped her gather up the animals and put 
them in the boxes. “And I don’t see why slaves 
are not as happy as other people,” she added 
thoughtfully. “ I’m sure Jacob and Dulcie are 
happy.” 

“ They are not slaves, my dear. Your grand¬ 
father gave all his negroes their freedom, and 
that is what many Southern people have done. 


AT ANT IET AM 111 

and many more were planning to do so before this 
war began,” replied Grandma Miller. 

“ When the war is over every negro will be 
free, won’t they, Grandma?” questioned Roxy, 
as they all walked up the slope. 

“ If the Union Army conquers the Confed¬ 
erates there will be no more slavery in America,” 
Mrs. Miller replied gravely. 

Roxy set her boxes on the porch steps, and 
stood looking off toward the bridge, remember¬ 
ing that Polly had told her that, after all, her 
father might secure leave of absence and appear 
at any time. 

It had been a happy day, even if Polly’s news 
had been discouraging, she thought, as her glance 
rested on the glimpse of quiet river, the stretch 
of gray road, and the distant bridge. 

And as she looked Roxy’s heart began to beat 
more quickly, for she could see a figure on horse¬ 
back coming across the bridge; as it drew near 
she saw that the rider’s coat was blue. 

“ It’s Father! It’s Father!” she exclaimed, 
and raced down the slope to the opening in the 
wall that led to the highway. 


CHAPTER XI 


A TRIUMPHAL ARCH 

The blue clad figure on horseback came on so 
slowly that Roxy had reached the road long be¬ 
fore the horseman was near enough for her to be 
sure that it was really her long expected father; 
and when he drew rein and called, “ Roxy! ” and 
smiled down at her the little girl, looking up at 
the thin worn face, cried out: “Oh, Father! 
You’re sick,” and Captain Delfield nodded. 
“ Pretty well used up, my dear. Run back to the 
house and tell your mother I’m coming,” and he 
turned his horse into the lane leading to the house 
while Roxy raced across the slope and ran into 
the house calling: “ Mother! Mother! Mother! ” 
until Mrs. Delfield and Grandma Miller both 
came hurrying to know what had happened. 

“ Father has come! Father is here! ” said the 
little girl, rushing through the house to the yard 
where Jacob was tenderly helping Captain Del- 
field from the tired horse. 

Roxy’s father was not only worn out by his 

long journey on horseback; he had not yet re- 

112 


AT ANTIETAM 


113 


covered from a wound received some weeks earlier 
on the slopes of Malvern where the Union forces 
had repulsed the Confederates and driven Lee’s 
army toward Richmond. 

For the week after his arrival Captain Delfield 
was in bed, and Roxy spent a part of each day 
in the big front chamber where her father’s bed 
was drawn near the windows so that he could 
look off across the valley to the distant hills. 

He wanted to hear all that she could tell him 
about her friend Polly and the little Hinham 
girls, and when she told of her discovery of the 
Yankee soldier who had escaped from Richmond 
prison he listened eagerly and smiled over Roxy’s 
description of Dulcie’s discovery that her food 
had been taken. 

“ Helping that boy will help win the war, 
Roxy; and you helped the Yankee Army with¬ 
out knowing it,” he said. 

“ But, Father, if it had been a Confederate boy 
I would have taken him food just the same,” 
Roxy responded, half fearing that her father, 
wounded by a Confederate bullet, might not 
agree with her in this; but Captain Delfield 
answered approvingly: 

“ Of course, dear child. The Confederate 


114 


A YANKEE GIRL 

soldiers are a worthy foe. Of course you would 
have helped any starving man.” 

Roxy searched the fields for wild flowers for 
her father’s room; she brought up her dolls to 
keep him company, and one day, to Dulcie’s 
horror, Roxy was discovered bringing the 
squawking bantams through the kitchen, and in 
spite of all Dulcie’s exclamations and warnings 
the little girl carried the surprised fowl up to her 
father’s chamber and set the covered basket down 
near his bed. 

“What have you named them?” he asked, 
leaning over to admire their shining feathers and 
bright eyes; and Roxy confessed that she had not 
thought of naming them. 

“ Why not call them Napoleon and Joseph¬ 
ine? ” he suggested. “ You see, Napoleon was 
small but he was as brave and noisv as this small 
bantam; and Josephine was beautiful, and so is 
Madame Bantam! ” 

Roxy laughed happily. Now that her father 
could sit up the greater part of each day and was 
always ready to tell her stories, and to hear what¬ 
ever she had to say, Roxy felt that all was well; 
and to have him give the bantams such fine names 
made her once more eager for a visit from Polly 


i 


AT ANT1ETAM 


11 5 


that she might tell her friend all that had hap¬ 
pened in the week since her father’s arrival; for 
Polly no longer came every day. She was keep¬ 
ing her promise to her father, and worked in the 
garden and in the house, and the two girls’ 
signals each morning was all they knew of each 
other. 

Roxy was looking forward to the day when 
her father would come down to the porch; her 
mother said they would have a celebration on that 
day, and Roxy signalled for Polly to come over, 
and greatly to her delight Polly’s answering 
signal was “ yes,” and Roxy hastened to the 
kitchen to ask a special favor of Dulcie. 

“ Dulcie, I expect my father will come down¬ 
stairs to-morrow,” she began. 

“ Now, ain’ dat good news, Missy! ” exclaimed 
Dulcie. “ I reckons I’d better hab fried chicken, 
an’ new peas, an’ co’n fritters ”—and with her 
hands on her hips and her eyes fixed far above 
Roxy’s head Dulcie named over a list of tempt¬ 
ing dishes, to which Roxy listened a little im¬ 
patiently and before she had finished interrupted 
by exclaiming: 

“Yes! Yes, Dulcie! And plum tarts! I 
specially want plum tarts.” 


116 


A YANKEE GIKL 


44 Does yo’ so. Missy Roxy? Den I’ll hev ter 
make de pastry ter-day. Pastry dat ain’ set de 
day ’fore it’s e’t ain’ wuth nothin’! ” and Dulcie 

flr 

shook her head smilingly as she watched the little 
girl hurry off to the garden to gather the tall 
yellow lilies that blossomed near the stone wall. 

Roxy carried these to her father’s room and 
found him sitting near the window. 

44 Polly’s coming to-morrow, and Dulcie’s 
going to have the best dinner, Father! ” she ex¬ 
claimed. 44 And you can try my swing! ” 

44 That is what I mean to do,” Captain Del- 
field said, and in a few moments Roxy bade him 
good-bye and ran down-stairs for she was plan¬ 
ning that her father’s first day down-stairs should 
be a real celebration, and she was eager to talk 
it over with Grandma Miller, who listened ap¬ 
provingly. 

44 Grandma, I have a plan! ” she said, following 
Mrs. Miller to the dairy, a square building of 
stone near the house. The dairy was always cool, 
even on these hot August days. Its floor was 
of stone, and there was a bubbling spring of cool 
water in one corner. 

There were shelves on two sides of the dairy 
holding big blue and yellow bowls and shining 


AT ANT IET AM 


117 


tins filled with milk* There were two churns, 
that stood near the spring, and a broad stone shelf 
where Grandma worked the golden butter and 
stamped the squares with a beautiful rose. 

Roxy always liked to visit the dairy, and to 
help Grandma make butter; but to-day as she 
sat down on the small three-legged stool in one 
comer of the room and watched her grandmother 
skimming the heavy yellow cream from the pans 
of milk her thoughts were not of butter. 

“ Grandma! I want to make an arch, a 
triumphal arch, for my father! I read about it 
in a story about George Washington. When 
heroes come back from war people put up 
triumphal arches, and my father is a hero,” de¬ 
clared Roxy. 

“ Why, I think that is a very good idea,” re¬ 
plied Grandmother, “ and where do you want the 
arch? ” 

“ In front of the porch,” replied Roxy, smil¬ 
ing happily that Grandma had so quickly agreed 
to her plan. “And I want to have it all green 
leaves, laurel and hazel branches, with yellow 
lilies mixed in; and I want Polly to sing when 
Father comes out on the porch! ” 

Grandma nodded approvingly and smiled at 


118 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Roxy. “ Your father will think he has won the 
war,” she said, “ and I am glad you thought of so 
good a plan. You can ask Jacob to help you to¬ 
morrow morning, and you had best be up early 
so that the arch will be ready when your father 
comes down.” 

“ Oh, yes, Grandma, I will be up at daylight,” 
Roxy promised, and now started off to the brook 
to get branches of laurel for the arch. She was 
busy all the afternoon bringing armfuls of the 
shining green laurel, and graceful branches of 
hazel, and when she bade her father good-night 
she was more tired than she had been since the 
day of her walk to visit the Hinhams. 

But she awoke very early. No one else in the 
house was astir, and when Roxy entered the 
kitchen Dulcie was just crossing the yard from 
her cabin. 

“ Gwine ter be a dreadful hot day,” Dulcie de¬ 
clared. “ Yo’ sit up ter dis lille roun’ table clus 
ter de winder, Missy Roxy, an’ I’ll spread out 
somet’ing fer yo’ ter eat. ’Twill be nigh an 
hour ’fore break’us! ” And Dulcie drew a small 
table to an open window, covered it with a white 
cloth and brought a blue pitcher filled with milk, 
a blue bowl, and a plate of corn bread. 


AT ANTIETAM 


119 


“ Now, jes’ hep yo’se’f, honey,” she said. 
“ Jacob ’ll be ready time yo’ finished.” 

Roxy was quite ready to obey, and as she ate 
the excellent corn bread and drank the cool milk 
she looked out of the window toward where the 
tall yellow lilies blossomed, and thought happily 
of her father’s surprise when he saw the 
“ triumphal ” arch. 

“ Dulcie, I am going to ask Polly to sing,” 
she said, when she was ready to leave the kitchen. 

Dulcie chuckled and smiled, as she usually did 
at whatever Roxy might say. 

“ W’y don’ yo’ hab Jacob an’ de odder niggers 
sing? Dey know sum right fine songs. I 
reckon yo’ pa be right pleased, Missy Roxy, ter 
hear ’em! ” she said. 

The little girl clapped her hands in delight. 

“ That will be splendid, Dulcie! Splendid! ” 
she exclaimed. “ Oh! It’s really going to be a 
celebration.” 

“ Yo’ jes’ speak to yo’ grandma ’bout it! ” said 
the well-pleased Dulcie. 

“ Grandma always says 4 yes,’ ” declared Roxy 
happily, and started off to tell Jacob just where 
to fix the tall willow saplings that he had cut as 
a frame for Roxy’s arch. 


120 


A YANKEE GIRL 


She selected a place half-way between the 
porch and the big butternut tree, and Jacob drove 
the saplings firmly into the ground, and drew 
their tops together in a graceful arch. He 
brought a step-ladder for Roxy to stand on and 
a ball of twine, and showed her how to fasten the 
branches of laurel and hazel leaves about the 
arched poles; and Roxy was busily at work when 
Polly, riding the little brown horse, trotted into 
the yard. 

Polly was eager to help, and gathered an arm¬ 
ful of the yellow lilies and helped Roxy put them 
in place at the top of the arch, where they glowed 
among the glossy laurel leaves, and, as Dulcie 
admiringly declared, “ Look jes’ like stars.” 

While the girls worked Roxy described her 
plan for her father’s pleasure, and Polly laugh¬ 
ingly consented to sing whatever Roxy wanted 
her to sing, and thought Dulcie’s idea of having 
the negroes sing would be sure to please Captain 
Delfield, as indeed it did, when a few hours later 
he stepped out on the porch and saw the beauti¬ 
ful arch, and Roxy announced: 

“ Father! That’s your triumphal arch! And 
Polly’s going to sing,” and he saw a tall girl in a 
tan-colored linen dress with shining red hair 


AT AN TIE TAM 


121 


standing near the flowery arch, who with a smil¬ 
ing greeting made him a low curtsy and sang: 

“ Hail to the Chief, who in triumph advances! 
Honored and blessed be the ever-green pine! 

Long may the tree, in his banner that glances, 
Flourish, the shelter and grace of our line! ” 

And then with another curtsy, Polly came up 
to stand beside Roxy on the upper step, and be¬ 
fore Captain Delfield could thank her for the 
song, Jacob, followed by the other negro servants, 
came around the corner of the house, and with 
smiling greetings to the Captain began singing: 

“ Nebber yo’ fear— 

W’en de corn am growin’, 

Nebber yo’ fear 

W’en de flowers am’ blowin’. 

Nebber yo’ fear de dreadful soun’ 

Risin’, risin’ out de groun’ 

Ob armies marchin’, marchin’ roun’.” 

As the men sang they swayed back and forth 
in time to the tune, and finally disappeared be¬ 
hind the house in a solemn march as the song 
ended. 

But Roxy ran after them and called them back 
and Captain Delfield thanked them heartily. 


122 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Then Roxy led her father under the arch to the 
swing, where he admired the wide seat around 
the tree, and declared that General McClellan 
himself could not have had a finer welcome. 

It proved a day that the little group would 
long remember; not alone on account of Roxy’s 
celebration for her father, but because it was the 
29th of August, 1862, the day when General 
Pope found himself facing Stonewall Jackson, 
the great Confederate general, on the battle¬ 
field of Bull Run. A battle where the Union 
forces were driven from the field with great 
loss, and were pursued by Lee’s army until, 
at Chantilly, Lee gave up the pursuit, and the 
broken battalions of the Union Army struggled 
back to Washington. 

It was Roland Hinham who brought this news, 
several days later. Captain Delfield and Roxy 
were on the broad seat under the butternut when 
Roxv exclaimed: “ Here comes Roland Hinham 
on horseback! ” 

“ What is he riding like that for? His horse 
is coming at a gallop,” said Captain Delfield, 
rising to his feet and watching Roland as the boy 
urged his horse up the slope. 

The tired horse came to a standstill in the yard 


AT ANT1ETAM 123 

and Roland swung himself from the saddle and 
ran toward Captain Delfield and hurriedly told 
him the news of the battle of Bull Run. “ And 
that isn’t all, sir,” continued the excited boy. 
“ General Lee’s troops are marching into Mary¬ 
land.” 


CHAPTER XII 


STARTLING NEWS 

“ Will the Southern soldiers come here? ” 
Roxy asked, clinging to her father’s arm, but 
Captain Delfield did not reply; he was question¬ 
ing Roland for news of the advancing army, and 
hearing that President Lincoln had given the 
command of the Army of the Potomac to General 
George B. McClellan. 

“ Then there is some hope of saving the 
Union,” declared Captain Delfield; “ but if Con¬ 
federate troops are moving into Maryland they 
will seize horses and cattle wherever they find 
them. We must drive our stock into the moun¬ 
tains and keep them out of sight until the danger 
is over.” 

“ What danger? ” questioned Mrs. Miller, who 
had come down from the house to greet Roland, 
and Roxy again heard Roland tell the story of 
the rumors of advancing armies. 

Captain Delfield encouraged them all by say- 

124 


AT ANTIETAM 


125 


ing that these hillside farms were too far from the 
direct routes of travel to make it likely that 
marching armies would trouble them; but Mrs. 
Miller nevertheless at once started Jacob and the 
other negroes to harvest the wheat, and to gather 
every crop in the fields bordering the highway. 

Roland said that his mother and little sisters 
were going to Sharpsburg, and that he and some 
of the negroes meant, that very day, to start into 
the mountains with their horses, ponies and cows; 
and he bade them all good-bye, promising to let 
them know of the family’s return home when the 
trouble was over. 

Captain Delfield and Roxy walked slowly to¬ 
ward the house, and Roxy knew that her soldier 
father was wishing himself able to again join his 
regiment; but while he was better he was not yet 
able to sit up all day, and was easily tired, and 
there could be no question of his leaving home at 
present. 

There were two fine gray mules belonging to 
Grandma Miller, and one driving horse, beside 
Captain Delfield’s fine saddle-horse that had 
brought him safely on his long journey. 

“ The mules cannot be spared until the crops 
are harvested, and I do not mean to start the 


126 


A YANKEE GIRL 


cattle off until I see soldiers coming over the 
bridge,” decided Mrs. Miller. 

It seemed to Roxy that Roland’s news had 
changed everything. No one now seemed to re¬ 
member her, she thought, as she heard her father 
and mother talking of General McClellan and 
General Lee. She heard her father say that be¬ 
fore the war began these two great generals had 
known each other well, and regarded each other 
highly. They had served together under the 
American flag in Mexico. 

Roxy did not stay to hear more but went into 
the kitchen to find Dulcie sitting in the big rock¬ 
ing-chair, with her apron over her head, rocking 
vigorously back and forth and groaning with 
every breath. 

“Stop, Dulcie! Whatever is the matter?” 
demanded Roxy, taking hold of the blue-checked 
apron and drawing it from Dulcie’s face. 

“ We’s all gwine ter be druv off into slav’ree; 
or mebbe we’s all gwine ter be kill’t!” declared 
the frightened woman. 

For the first time that day Roxy laughed; and 
at the sight of the little girl’s smiling face Dulcie 
began to regain a little courage. “Ain’ we, 
Missy Roxy? ” she half whispered. 


AT ANTIETAM 


127 


“ Of course not! Who said so? ” asked Roxy. 

“Jacob!” and Dulcie was promptly on her 
feet. “ Does yo’ means ter tell me dat de South¬ 
ern sojers ain’ a-marchin’ dis way? ” she ques¬ 
tioned. 

“ Oh, Dulcie! They won’t hurt us! Whoever 
said they would? And here it is ’most supper 
time and you haven’t begun anything,” and leav¬ 
ing the puzzled Dulcie Roxy went out to the 
yard. She visited “ Napoleon ” and “ Joseph¬ 
ine,” and promised not to let the invading army 
capture them, and then wandered down the slope 
to the wall and leaning against it stood looking 
off toward the Lawrence farm. 

“ I wonder if Polly knows? ” she thought, and 
remembered that there were only two negro 
servants at the Lawrence place. “ I’ll go over 
now and tell her,” she resolved, and ran down the 
slope toward the old sycamore, and climbed the 
pasture path leading to Polly’s home. 

It was a long walk and Roxy was warm and 
tired when she discovered Polly, who was leading 
“ Brownie ” toward the stables. 

“ Did you signal that you were coming, 
Roxy? ” called Polly. 

Roxy shook her head. “ I didn’t think about 


128 


A YANKEE GIRL 

signals,” she said. “ Polly, General Lee is 
marching into Maryland! ” 

Polly laughed delightedly, 

“ Oh, Roxy-Doxy! Have you made up a new 
game? ” 

Roxy stamped her foot angrily, forgetting the 
gold ring and her promise. 

“ Well, Polly Lawrence! I ran and ran, and I 
am as tired as I can be, and it isn't a game. I 
came to tell you so you could save your horses,” 
she said, thinking angrily that she would now 
go straight home and never speak to Polly 
again. 

But Polly’s face was grave and she at once 
began asking Roxy questions, so that in a few 
moments Roxy no longer remembered to be 
angry, and was telling Polly all that she knew 
about the advance of Lee’s soldiers, and of what 
her father had said about driving the horses into 
some hidden valley among the hills where they 
would be safe. 

“ If the Confederates find your father they 
will take him prisoner,” Polly suddenly an¬ 
nounced. “ Of course they will, for they will 
see by his uniform that he is a Union soldier! ” 

“ Oh, Polly! ” exclaimed Roxy. “ I don’t be- 


129 


AT ANTIETAM 

lieve my father thought about that,” and her gray 
eyes widened with fear. 

But Polly assured her that of course Captain 
Delfield had thought of it, and would prepare to 
avoid capture. 

“ If we could only have some warning before 
the soldiers get here perhaps no great harm would 
be done; we could drive off the stock, and go 
away ourselves, if that seemed best,” Polly said 
thoughtfully. “Anyway, I’m not going to have 
‘ Brownie ’ go until I do,” and she patted the 
little brown horse lovingly. 

“ I guess I must go now,” Roxy said. “ You 
will signal every morning, won’t you, Polly? ” 

Polly promised, and Roxy started for home, 
her thoughts filled with a new fear: that the Con¬ 
federates might discover her father and take him 
prisoner. She remembered what Polly had said 
about being warned of the approach of the in¬ 
vading army; and before Roxy had reached the 
old sycamore she had made a firm resolve that she 
would watch the broad turnpike that led up from 
Virginia and warn her father and Polly at the 
first sight of marching troops; and the little girl 
at once began to plan how she could carry out 
this resolve. It would mean, she knew, that she 


130 


A YANKEE GIRL 


must be on the alert constantly, and that she must 
not let her mother, father or Grandmother Miller 
discover what she meant to do. 

In the high pasture beyond the sycamore tow¬ 
ered a rocky ledge where Polly and Roxy had 
often eaten their picnic luncheons, and the little 
girl now remembered that from the top of this 
mass of rock one could look off far beyond the 
bridge to where two roads met; one of these roads 
led off through the mountains, the other was the 
highway that led on past the Miller farm toward 
Sharpsburg. 

“ That’s just the place. I’ll go there every 
day and watch,” Roxy resolved quickly; and sud¬ 
denly realizing that the sun was nearly out of 
sight behind the western hills, Roxy hurried to¬ 
ward home, and found the family at the supper 
table. 

“Father, would the Confederates take you 
prisoner? ” she asked eagerly, standing close be¬ 
side her father’s chair. 

“ They would have to catch me first, my dear. 
If I see them first I’ll be safe enough,” he replied, 
and Roxy gave a little sigh of satisfaction as she 
sat down beside him. 

“ I’ll tell you the minute I see them,” she 


AT ANT1ETAM 


131 


promised soberly, and Roxy thought to herself 
how wonderful it would be if she could really do 
something to help her soldier father: perhaps save 
him from that dreaded prison from which the 
Yankee boy had escaped. 

That night the talk was of invading armies, 
and of the danger that seemed to threaten Wash¬ 
ington; and Roxy, curled up on the old sofa in 
the sitting-room, again resolved that she would 
not fail in her plan to be at the ledge at an early 
hour the next morning. She began to wish that 
she had told Polly of her plan. 

“ Polly always thinks of things that I don’t: 
of signals, and all sorts of things,” thought Roxy; 
and at the remembrance of signals a new idea 
flashed into her mind. She must tell Pollv as 
soon as she could, and she could signal Polly from 
the ledge. That would be splendid. Roxy no 
longer felt tired or sleepy. She jumped up from 
the sofa and if at that very moment her mother 
had not said: “ Bedtime and past, Roxy,” the 
little girl would have been eager to start off across 
the pastures to tell her friend of the new plan. 

“ Why, Roxy! Your eyes are shining, and 
your face is flushed; are you ill? ” exclaimed Mrs. 
Delfield as the little girl stood beside her. 


132 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ No, only I wish it was morning. I want to 
tell Polly something. I am going to get up at 
daylight and go over to Polly’s; may I? ” Roxy 
asked. 

“ Why, yes. And ask Polly if she and her 
mother mean to stay at home. Tell her to come 
here at any time if we can help them.” 

“ Yes, Mother! Polly can signal if she wants 
me,” Roxy answered. 

“ ‘ Signal ’ ? ” questioned Captain Delfield, 
and listened to Roxy’s description of the signals 
the two girls had arranged from their upper 
windows. 

“ Better not let any soldiers discover your 
signals,” he said smilingly. “ You know that is 
the way armies direct attacks, by signals.” 

But Captain Delfield did not for a moment 
imagine that within a few days these very signals 
that Roxy described were to involve his little 
daughter in real danger. 


CHAPTER XIII 


SEPTEMBER SIXTH 

Roxy was up as the first rays of the September 
sun came through her eastern window; but early 
as it was she found Dulcie busy in the kitchen, 
and could see Jacob starting off to the fields with 
the mule team. 

“Yo’ gran’ma says ebery grain ob wheat and 
ebery ear ob co’n mus’ be out er de fields ’fore 
de marchin’ armies comes dis way,” said Dulcie 
solemnly, as she gave Roxy a plate of freshly 
baked corn bread, and bade her run to the dairy 
for a pitcher of milk. 

“ I want my lunch basket filled, please, Dub 
cie,” said Roxy. “ I may be gone all day.” 

“ Don’ yo’ go near de roads, Missy Roxy,” 
warned Dulcie, “ an’ yo’ tells Missy Polly Law¬ 
rence not ter go ridin’ off lik’ she does. ’Tain’ 
gwine ter be safe,” and the negro woman shook 
her head solemnly, as she started toward the 

pantry to fill the little covered basket. 

133 


134 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Roxy put on the big straw hat that she always 
wore in her tramps about the pastures, and 
promising Dulcie to keep away from the roads 
she set forth. As she ran down the slope her 
thoughts were of the lookout she meant to keep 
from the top of the high ledge, and of the signals 
that should tell Polly that marching soldiers could 
be seen in the distance. 

“ I’ll have to fix a pole on the ledge,” she 
decided, “ and Polly will give me some strips of 
white cloth.” 

The early September morning was cool and 
pleasant, and the air was fragrant with ripening 
fruit and the scent of autumn flowers. Along 
the wall the grapes were turning purple, and 
Roxy noticed the yellow stubble of the wheat 
fields. 

As she neared the brook she saw bunches of 
purple thistles growing among the silvery-like 
young willows on the borders of the stream, and 
the little girl lingered to admire the beauty spread 
before her. 

But she was too eager to see Polly to stay long 
near the quiet stream. And as she climbed the 
pasture slope she decided that it would be a good 
plan to leave her lunch basket at the foot of the 


AT ANTIETAM 


13 5 


ledge where she could get it on her return; and 
she set it carefully on a shelf of rock that she 
could easily reach, and then hurried on. 

Polly, busy in the hillside orchard gathering 
apples, had seen Roxy as she came toward the 
farm, and came running to meet her, her red hair 
dancing about her face. 

“ What is it, Roxy? ” she asked a little anx¬ 
iously, putting her arm about Roxy’s shoulders, 
and Roxy told of her plan to climb the ledge and 
keep watch of the distant highway. 

“And then, Polly, when I signalled that sol¬ 
diers were coming you could start off with your 
horses and cows for the hills, and I could run 
home and tell Grandma.” 

Polly listened gravely. 

“ It’s a splendid plan, Roxy. I think you were 
clever to think of it. And the ledge is just the 
place. What did your father say about it? Was 
he not proud that you had thought of it? ” she 
asked. 

“ Oh, Polly! I didn’t tell him. I was afraid 
they would not let me do it. And, Polly, you 
won’t tell, will you? ” pleaded Roxy. “ I want 
to keep it secret until I do see the soliders. Per¬ 
haps, after all, they won’t come.” 


136 


A YANKEE GIRL 

Polly agreed, and the two girls decided that 
the moment Roxy should see any sign of advanc¬ 
ing troops she should fasten the strip of white 
cloth, that Polly would give her, to a stout pole 
and wave it from the top of the ledge. 

“ But of course after you wave it you had bet¬ 
ter fix the pole firmly among the rocks and start 
for home,” said Polly; “ there are a lot of sticks 
near the ledge that will do for a flagpole,” she 
added, and after a little more talk of Roxy’s plan 
the friends said good-bye and Roxy turned back 
toward the ledge, well pleased that Polly had so 
promptly approved of her plan. 

It was rather a difficult matter for the little 
girl to reach the top of the mass of rocks that 
rose from the rough pasture. To carry her 
basket and the slender pole that she had found, 
and to climb along the slippery ledges without 
losing her footing made it very slow work. 
Roxy at last poked the flag-stick as far ahead 
of her as she could, then, reaching up, she set 
the basket on some outstanding rock, and this 
left her hands free to seize at bushes and rocks 
and pull herself up to where the basket and flag- 
stick rested, and in this way she finally reached 
the top, where masses of rough stone, scrubby 


137 


AT ANT1ETAM 

laurel-bushes, and one twisted little oak tree cov¬ 
ered the surface. 

Roxy was glad to rest in the scanty shade of 
the little oak tree. Sitting there she could look 
over the peaceful countryside and the quiet 
Antietam as it flowed under its arched bridges 
and made its way to the Potomac. 

Turning her glance to the highway she could 
see the road like a gray ribbon in the distance, 
and realized that no horsemen could approach 
without her seeing them when they were yet miles 
distant, and Roxy smiled happily to think how 
well she was carrying out her plan. 

But after she had rested from her scramble up 
the ledge, she began to look about for something 
to amuse her, and to realize that an entire day by 
herself on the top of this ledge was a very long 
time. She wished that she had brought the big 
rag doll, “ Dinah,” that she had had ever since 
she could remember, for company; and she won¬ 
dered what little Indian girls did for toys. 

“ I’ll bring Dinah to-morrow,” she resolved, 
and just then a gray squirrel poked his head over 
a near-by rock and fixed his bright, startled 
glance on Roxy, and an instant later another gray 
head appeared beside the first squirrel and they 


133 A YANKEE GIRL 

watched her for a brief moment and then van¬ 
ished. 

“ Oh! ” Roxy whispered softly, and noiselessly 
opening her lunch basket she drew out a fat 
molasses cooky dotted with raisins and tiny nuts, 
and breaking off little bits she threw them toward 
the place where the squirrels had appeared, and it 
was not long before the little creatures again 
ventured out and seized upon these unexpected 
dainties. 

Very softly Roxy began to speak to them, at 
the same time tossing bits of the cooky in their 
direction. 

“ You must be Confederates because you wear 

* 

gray clothes,” she said. “ Lee and Jackson, I'll 
call you, because Father says they are as brave as 
any Yankee soldier, and you are brave to come 
so near,” and Roxy held the last crumbs of the 
cooky in her outstretched hand tempting her new 
friends. 

All the morning she found amusement in 
watching the squirrels and trying to make friends 
with them, although she did not forget to keep a 
sharp outlook toward the distant road; and when 
she saw the sun in mid-heaven she ate a part of the 
contents of her lunch basket, and again fed the 


139 


AT ANTIETAM 

squirrels with scraps of food, and was delighted 
when one of them boldly perched himself on her 
foot. 

This first day that Roxy spent on the pasture 
ledge was September 6th, 1862, the very day on 
which the Confederates, under General Jackson, 
made their entry into the town of Frederick, 
Maryland. They had expected to be welcomed, 
but they were disappointed in this. 

Jackson’s army of shoeless soldiers clad in 
tattered uniforms were not received as “ libera¬ 
tors,” as Lee had expected. There was but little 
secessionist element in Western Maryland; and 
loyal women in Frederick dared to throw out the 
flag of the Union from their windows. McClel¬ 
lan’s army was marching to meet the invading 
foe, and a few days later the Confederates left 
Frederick, moving westward beyond the moun¬ 
tains, and McClellan’s troops riding into town on 
a bright Sunday morning were warmly welcomed. 

People crowded about General McClellan, 
decking “ Dan,” the fine horse he rode, with 
wreaths and flowers, and the Union flag floated 
everywhere. 

But the people on the hillside farms above 
Sharpsburg did not know of this for days after- 


140 


A YANKEE GIRL 

ward—not until a terrible battle had ragei ah 
most at their very doors; and while General Jack- 
son moved down the south side of the Potomac 
toward Harper’s Ferry the farmers harvested 
their grain in the fields along the Antietam and 
waited for news that might tell them of the move¬ 
ment of Lee’s troops. 

Roxy did not mean to go to sleep that first day 
of her watch and when, in mid-afternoon, she 
awakened suddenly, to find both of the gray 
squirrels had settled themselves in her hat, that 
she had put down beside her lunch-basket, she 
wondered at herself, and looked anxiously to¬ 
ward the road, fearful lest by sleeping she had 
risked her father’s safety. 

But the road lay quiet and untraveled, and now 
a new question came into Roxy’s thoughts. 
“ Nights.” Perhaps the army might advance 
under cover of the night, she thought. But the 
little girl finally decided there was nothing she 
could do in that case. 

“ I’ll just watch days; that’s all I can do,” she 
thought, and shared the remainder of her lunch¬ 
eon with “ Lee ” and “ Jackson.” 

It had seemed a very long day to Roxy, and 
when the sun began to approach the western 


141 


AT ANTIETAM 

Horizon she was glad to scramble down the ledge 
and start for home. 

“ I’ll bring ‘ Dinah ’ to-morrow,” she thought, 
as she ran down the slope toward the sycamore. 

As Roxy came in sight of the big yard near the 
house she gave a sudden exclamation. 

“ It’s a gray pony! ” she said, as if she could 
hardly believe it, and as she entered the yard she 
again exclaimed: “ It really is a gray pony,” and 
she ran to where the pony was nibbling at the 
thick grass beside the fence. 

“ It looks just like one of the Hinhams’ 
ponies,” she said aloud, as she stopped to look at 
it and wonder how it came to be in Grandma 
Miller’s yard; and seeing Dulcie in the kitchen 
doorway she called: 

“ Dulcie, where did this pony come from? ” 

“ Dat pony ’rive here dis mornin’, Missy Roxy. 
Young Massa Hinham lef’ dat pony; an’ he say 
it were for Missy Roxy to hev ’til he comes ter 
fetch it. I reckon dat’s yo’ pony. Missy,” and 
Dulcie beamed and nodded as she saw Roxy’s 
delighted smile. “ Young Massa Hinham say 
dat de pony’s name am 4 Beauty,’ ” Dulcie added, 
and Roxy ventured to pat “ Beauty’s ” neck, and 
found the pony well pleased by her attention. 


142 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Jacob declared the newcomer as “ tame as a 
kitten,” and after supper Roxy came back to the 
yard, climbed to the pony’s back and, guiding it 
by pulling on its mane and rapping her feet 
sharply against its fat sides, she rode it about the 
yard, and for the time entirely forgot all about 
the ledge and her task of watching a distant road. 

Grandma Miller said that she knew all about 
the gray pony: Roland, when he was Roxy’s age, 
had trotted it up and down the country roads 
and across fields and pastures, and Jasmine often 
rode on its fat back. 

“ Roxy will be perfectly safe with ‘ Beauty 
and she can ride over to see Polly instead of 
walking,” said Mrs. Miller, greatly to Roxy’s 
delight, who at once decided that on the following 
morning instead of climbing up the slope to the 
ledge she would ride on “ Beauty.” But she said 
nothing of this to Grandma, and was ready to go 
to bed at an early hour after her long day on the 
distant ledge. 


CHAPTER XIV 


ROXY TAKEN PRISONER 

Everyone about the Miller farm was so busy 
that Roxy’s daily disappearance did not attract 
much notice. With her well-filled lunch basket 
she would run into the yard, slip bit and bridle 
over “ Beauty’s ” head, seat herself on his broad 
back and trot off down the slope to the ledge, and 
then leave “ Beauty ” to wander about the pas¬ 
ture until the late afternoon. 

The pony never went far away. He would 
feed on the wild grasses, going to the brook to 
drink the cool water, and come trotting back to 
the shade of the ledge. Several times each day 
Roxy would leave her watch-tower and go down 
to pat “ Beauty ” and keep him company for a 
few moments. The little creature had always 
been with children, and was well content to keep 
within hearing of Roxy’s voice. 

“ Dinah,” the big rag doll, now lived perma¬ 
nently under the scrubby oak tree on top of the 

ledge, and the two gray squirrels, “ Lee ” and 

143 


144 


A YANKEE GIRL 

" Jackson,” became so tame that they would come 
running to watch Roxy climb up the ledge, chit- 
tering and scolding noisily, and eager for bits 
from the well-filled lunch basket. They were no 
longer afraid of the little girl, and when they 
would perch themselves beside “ Dinah ” as if ex¬ 
pecting the big doll to feed them, watching her 
with sharp, bead-like eyes, Roxy would laugh 
with delight. By the end of the third day of her 
self-appointed task she found the time going very 
rapidly and thought the top of the ledge the finest 
of playhouses. 

On the second day Polly had appeared at noon¬ 
day bringing a fine ripe melon and some peaches, 
and the two girls had feasted happily. 

“ We might signal to each other just for fun,” 
Polly suggested. “ You could wave the signal 
three times at noon and again just before you 
start for home, and I'll watch for it. But if you 
set up the pole with the signal fastened to it, and 
don’t wave at all. I’ll know that means ‘ Soldiers 
on the road,’ ” said Polly. “ You won’t be so 
lonely if you can signal me,” she added; and Roxy 
promptly declared that she was not lonely; that 
“ Lee ” and “ Jackson ” and “ Dinah ” were the 
best of company. 


145 


AT ANT1ETAM 

“ And having the pony makes a lot of differ¬ 
ence, Polly. Just think when I do see the sol¬ 
diers I can get home so quickly and tell Father,” 
she said; and then she showed Polly the tiny house 
she had made for “Dinah,” building up three 
walls of flat stone and making a roof of twigs and 
oak-leaves. “And the squirrels like it, too; they 
run in and out as if they thought I had made it 
for them,” Roxy said; and Polly declared the 
little house to be perfect, and again praised Roxy 
for keeping watch so steadily. 

“ It’s just like being a real soldier on guard, 
Roxy,” she said, and Roxy smiled happily; but 
Polly’s next words made her smile vanish. “ If 
the armies don’t come at night,” Polly added 
thoughtfully. 

“You don’t suppose they will, Polly? Oh! 
What would we do? ” said Roxy, nearly ready to 
cry at the thought that, after all, she might not be 
of any use to the Union cause or to her soldier 
father. 

“ I suppose if the Confederates were on the 
march at night they’d ride straight on toward 
Washington; they wouldn’t stop at all, and per¬ 
haps that would be the best for all of us,” Polly 
said gravely. “ But if they march by day you’ll 


146 


A YANKEE GIRL 


see them, Roxy, and signal me and Mother and I 
will start oft* with the horses/’ 

This satisfied Roxy, and she bade Polly a 
cheerful good-bye, and that night waved her white 
signal as they had agreed before she mounted 
“ Beauty ” and trotted down the slope toward 
home. 

For several days Roxy signalled as Polly had 
suggested, played with “ Dinah ” and the squir¬ 
rels, and won the friendship of a handsome 
squawking blue jay who began to share her 
luncheon with the squirrels, and would scold 
noisily if he was not promptly attended to. 
And then, on the afternoon of September thir¬ 
teenth, came the adventure that Roxy would 
never forget. She was waving her good-night 
signal to Polly when a firm grasp on her arm 
made her drop the stick to which the white signal 
was fastened and call out in fear as she looked up 
to find a stranger in worn butternut-colored 
clothing standing beside her. 

“What’s all this?” he asked gruffly. “I’ve 
had my eye on this signalling for two days; what 
does it mean? ” 

For a moment Roxy was too frightened to an¬ 
swer, and the man’s voice softened as he realized 


AT ANTIETAM 147 

that the little girl was staring at him in evident 
terror. 

“ Don’t be afraid. I only want to know why 
you come to this ledge every day and signal. I 
reckon somebody is watching out for those sig¬ 
nals, eh? ” and a little smile crept over his grim 
face as Roxy nodded in response. 

“I thought so!” he declared, evidently well 
pleased. “ Now tell me all about it,” he con¬ 
tinued in a more friendly manner. “ Something 
to do with armies and soldiers, isn’t it? ” he asked 
and again Roxy nodded. 

“ Well, tell me who sends you up here? And 
what for? ” he questioned, and now Roxy re¬ 
gained her courage. Gruff and stern as the 
stranger seemed Roxy was no longer afraid of 
him, and she now answered quickly: 

“ Nobodys sends me.” 

“ That’s a likely story. A little girl like you 
perched up here day after day waving a white 
flag at certain hours. Where is your home? ” 

“ Newbury port, Massachusetts,” replied Roxy. 

“A Yankee girl! And what are you doing 
here? ” he asked, but Roxy did not answer. She 
wished now that she had not answered any of his 
questions. 






148 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ Where do you come from? ” she now ven¬ 
tured, and at this unexpected question the man 
laughed. 

“ I don’t mind telling you that my home is m 
South Carolina, and I’d be mighty glad to be 
there,” he answered; “ but I’ve no time to stand 
here. I want to know about this signalling. If 
you are a Yankee girl I reckon you’re here to 
protect some sneaking Yankee soldiers who are 
hid up along these mountains to fire on Lee’s sol¬ 
diers ! ” and he fixed his sharp glance on Roxy, 
and for a moment the little girl felt sure that he 
knew all about her wounded soldier father; and 
she quickly realized that she must not let this man 
know where she lived. 

“ You’d better come with me,” he continued, 
looking about as if thinking some enemy might 
be near, and he motioned for Roxy to start down 
the ledge. Now and then he held out his hand 
to help her over some rough place among the 
rocks, or where the soil was treacherously loose 
among the tangle of roots, and when they reached 
the ground he said sternly: 

“Now is your chance. Tell me where the 
Yankee soldiers are and you can go straight home. 
If you don’t tell me I’ll have to take you with 


149 


AT, ANTIETAM 

me, and I will say I don’t want to do that,” and 
he watched Roxy anxiously. 

But the little girl did not speak. Even if he 
did not carry her off, she thought, she would not 
dare to go home for fear that he might follow her 
and find her father. And suddenly a new fear 
took possession of Roxy’s thoughts: the fear that 
her father might walk down the slope to meet her 
as he sometimes did and that this Confederate 
soldier would see him. 

With a sudden resolve to go as far away from 
the Miller farm as possible Roxy sprang forward 
and ran up the slope toward the woods, and in¬ 
stantly the man was after her and she felt herself 
seized and lifted in his arms. But she made no 
outcry, as the man, muttering angrily, turned 
down the hillside and hurried on to a little trav¬ 
elled road that skirted the mountain slope, and 
here he set the little girl down, and with a warn¬ 
ing word not to move a step, he disappeared be¬ 
hind a thicket of tall laurel bushes. She won¬ 
dered what was to happen, but he was back in a 
moment leading a thin gray horse; he lifted 
Roxy to the saddle, swung himself up behind 
her and sent the horse forward at a gallop; 
and Roxy comforted her fears for her father’s 


150 


A YANKEE GIRL 

safety as she realized they were going away from 
the familiar slopes of the Miller farm. 

That very afternoon Roxy’s mother had de¬ 
termined that it would be better for Roxy not to 
go, as she supposed the little girl did, to see Polly 
every day, and she had decided that when 
“ Beauty ” should come trotting into the yard 
bringing the smiling, happy Roxy home from 
her long day of play she would tell her that after 
this she wanted her little daughter at home. Mrs. 
Delfield had not the least thought that at that 
very moment Roxy was miles away in a Confed¬ 
erate camp. 

The sun was setting when “ Beauty ” was seen 
coming up the slope, and when it was discovered 
that Roxy was not with him Mrs. Delfield and 
Jacob started at once to look for her, feeling sure 
the pony had run away from Roxy, leaving her 
to walk home. 

But when they reached the Lawrence farm and 
discovered that Roxy had not been there Mrs. 
Delfield was so alarmed that Polly told her the 
story of Roxy’s plan to keep watch on top of the 
pasture ledge so that she could warn her father if 
Confederate troops were seen on the highway. 

“And she signalled me good-night; she must 


151 


AT ANT1ETAM 

be there now,” said Polly, and went with Mrs. 
Delfield to the pasture and at the foot of the ledge 
called “ Roxy! Roxy!” But no answer came. 

They all climbed to the top and searched care¬ 
fully, finding Roxy’s hat and lunch-basket, and 
being puzzled and alarmed that the little girl had 
left these behind her. 

Jacob was sent to tell Roxy’s father and 
Grandma Miller that Roxy could not be found; 
and until darkness settled over the hills and val¬ 
leys they searched slope and pasture for the miss¬ 
ing girl; and all night long Jacob and the other 
servants hunted along the brook and mountain¬ 
side calling Roxy’s name, while Grandma Miller 
and Mrs. Delfield wandered down the highway 
and over the bridge, coming home tired and dis¬ 
couraged. 

Captain Delfield was the only one who came 
near guessing what had befallen his little daugh¬ 
ter. 

“ I believe the signalling is at the bottom of 
her disappearance. Very likely Confederate 
scouts have been sent ahead of the main army, and 
if one of them discovered signalling going on they 
may have taken Roxy to camp to question her; 
but no harm will befall her, be sure of that. No 


152 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Southern soldier would harm a child. When she 
tells her story she will be brought home in safety,” 

he said. 

But Captain Delfield could not know that his 
loyal little daughter would not tell her story, or 
even the place where she lived for fear that by so 
doing she might endanger her father’s safety. 


CHAPTER XV 


roxy’s ride to sharpsburg 

The September twilight had settled into dusk 
when the Confederate soldier left the country 
road, turning his horse into a grove of sycamores 
that bordered the Antietam River several miles 
below the Miller farm. 

The newcomers were instantly greeted by two 
other soldiers; and when Roxy’s companion called 
out: “Here’s a Yankee prisoner, director of a 
signalling corps,” they looked at him in amaze¬ 
ment, and he set Roxy down in front of them and 
continued: “ Right here! This girl is a Yankee, 
and she was stationed on a high ledge, has been 
there for days, keeping watch on the road, and 
twice each day signalling, probably to some 
Yank, so that at the first sight of Lee’s army he 
can be off to bring McClellan after us,” and he 
frowned so fiercely that Roxy found it hard to 
keep back her tears. 

The two other soldiers looked at her gravely, 

and the elder of the two said kindly: 

153 


! 


154 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ Well, she will probably tell us all about it, 
won’t you, little girl? ” 

“No, sir! ” Roxy replied, and at this the man 
who had brought her to the camp laughed. 

“ She’s well trained to keep the secret; not a 
word out of her,” he said. 

“ I have broiled a couple of chickens over the 
coals, and have some melons; we’ll have a bite to 
eat, and after supper I reckon little Miss Yankee 
will tell us just what the signals mean, and then 
I’ll take her home,” said the elderly soldier, smil¬ 
ing at Roxy. 

“ Sit down,” said the other gruffly, pointing to 
a stump near by, and Roxy obeyed. When one of 
the men brought her food she shook her head. 
She was not hungry, and while she watched her 
companions eat she looked around the little grove, 
and began to wonder if she could not escape and 
make her way home; and the elder soldier, as if 
reading her thoughts, shook his head at her smil¬ 
ingly. 

“ No use, Miss Yankee girl; we’d catch you,” 
he said, and at this Roxy began to be really 
frightened, and to feel herself a prisoner. 

The men paid no further attention to her, light¬ 
ing their pipes, and talking eagerly of the move- 


155 


AT ANTIETAM 

ments of Confederate troops. Roxy heard them 
say that General Jackson was moving toward 
Harper’s Ferry, where he would drive the Yanks 
from the place and move on to Hagerstown. And 
this was really accomplished on the following day, 
as McClellans troops did not arrive in time to 
prevent the surrender of the Union garrison of 
eleven thousand men who became prisoners of 
war of the Confederates. 

Once again the soldiers turned to Roxy and 
endeavored to persuade her to tell to whom she 
signalled, and why; but the little girl kept silent. 
One of the men threatened that they would take 
her so far from home that she would never find 
her way back, and at this Roxy’s eyes filled with 
tears; but she remembered the Yankee soldier 
boy, and what he had said of prison, and again 
she resolved that she must not let these men dis¬ 
cover that her father was a Union soldier or they 
would surely take him prisoner. 

At last one of the men declared that he did not 
believe Roxy really knew anything of the real 
meaning of her signals. “And if she does, we’ve 
stopped it. Whoever put her there knows by this 
time that we’ve been on the watch. It’s getting 
late. I’ll take the girl over to that cabin in the 


156 


A YANKEE GIRL 


field and tell them to keep her until morning and 
then carry her back to the second bridge above 
here; she can see the ledge from there and find 
her way home. We must move on/’ he said, and 
the man who had brought Roxy now led her 
across a shadowy field to a tumble-down cabin 
where an evidently frightened negro woman 
opened the sagging door, and promised to take 
care of the little girl and to obey the directions of 
the soldier. 

“ Good-bye, Miss Yankee girl,” the man said 
as he turned to go. “ Reckon I’ve put a stop to 
any good your signals could do. Do you hear 
that? ” And Roxy heard a dull booming sound, 
the echo of far-off artillery; the little girl did not 
know this, but the soldier knew it was the far-off 
guns of an attacking army, and with another 
warning to the negro woman he hastened away. 

Roxy was so tired that she was glad to lie down 
on the rough cot in the corner of the room, and, 
in spite of all her troubling thoughts, the little 
girl realized that she was free and in a short time 
would be safely at home, and was soon asleep. 

Before sunrise the next morning the negro 
woman awoke Roxy. “ We’s got ter be up an’ 
doin’, Missy,” she said anxiously. “ Yo’ jes’ 


157 


AT ANTIETAM 

drink some milk, an’ Fs got some co’n pone h’ar 
fer yo’, an’ we’ll be off. I ain’ gwine ter come 
back h’ar, I ain’! ” she continued. “ Dar’s too 
many sojers cornin’ dis way. I reckon yo’ fo’ks’ll 
let me stay at yo’ place. Missy, if I fetch yo’ safe 
back? ” and the anxious, frightened negro fixed 
her pleading glance on Roxy, who at once de¬ 
clared that she was sure her grandmother would 
let Etta-Belle, as the negro woman called herself, 
stay at the Miller farm. Roxy ate her breakfast 
hungrily, and was eager to start for home, and 
at an early hour they were on their way. 

But Roxy was not to reach home that day; a 
new adventure was close at hand, and before they 
had reached the highway Etta-Belle stopped 
suddenly. 

“Look dar. Missy!” she exclaimed in a 
frightened whisper pointing toward a distant 
slope. “ Dar’s an army marchin’. Boun’ to 
Sharpsburg, shuh’s yo’ born, Missy! ” and Roxy’s 
glance followed Etta’s pointing finger and she 
saw a long shining column of mounted soldiers, 
soldiers in blue uniforms, coming on at a rapid 
pace; without waiting for Etta-Belle Roxy raced 
across the field into the highway and ran toward 
the advancing soldiers. If she heard the negro 


158 


A YANKEE GIRL 


woman’s frenzied cries she paid no attention to 
them; here were men wearing the same uniform 
that her father wore; she would, she quickly re¬ 
solved, tell them about her father, about the Con¬ 
federate scouts and what she had heard them 
say, and they would take her safely home. 

She stood in the road waving her arms and 
shouted: “ Union soldiers! Union soldiers! ” and 
the two officers riding in advance of the troops 
drew rein within a few feet of where she stood 
and gazed at her sternly, in evident amazement 
that a ten-year-old girl should dare to halt a 
regiment of soldiers. 

“ She must be a messenger,” said one of the 
officers, swinging himself from the saddle, and 
coming toward Roxy, who, bareheaded, and with 
her face flushed from her run, her eyes shining 
with excitement, was indeed a queer little person 
to bring a division of soldiers to a standstill. But 
she told her story clearly and eagerly, repeating 
what she had heard the Confederate scouts say of 
the movements of Jackson’s army. 

“And if you please, may I not ride home with 
you? ” she concluded breathlessly, for Roxy sup¬ 
posed the soldiers were on the road that led by 
her Grandma Miller’s, but this was not the case. 



HE LIFTED HER TO THE SADDLE IN FRONT OF HIM 









AT ANTIETAM 


159 


The soldiers were bound for Sharpsburg, and the 
officer, supposing the little girl knew this, and 
that her home was near the town, promptly 
agreed to Roxy’s request and lifting her to the 
saddle in front of him, called a sharp word of 
command and they were off. 

Etta-Belle, hiding behind the bushes at the 
edge of the field, and shaking with terror, watched 
until they were out of sight, and then started off 
in the other direction toward the Miller farm. 
“ I reckons dey’ll wan’ news ob dat chile,” she 
muttered as she hurried along the road. Roxy 
had told the woman where she lived, and Etta- 
Belle had heard of the Miller farm, and toward 
noon she climbed the slope to the farmhouse and 
the anxious family gathered to hear her story of 
what had befallen Roxy. 

“An’ de lille gal rush right into de road an’ 
stop de army, an’ de sojer set her on de hoss an’ 
de army go right on,” she concluded. 

Rejoiced as they were to have news of their 
little daughter. Captain and Mrs. Delfield could 
not feel that she was safe until she was again at 
home; and it was decided that Mrs. Delfield and 
Jacob should start at once for Sharpsburg and 
endeavor to find Roxy. Grandma Miller’s horse 


160 


A YANKEE GIRL 


was quickly harnessed to the high buggy and 
they were off. Etta-Belle had made friends with 
Dulcie, and Grandma Miller had said she might 
stay at the farm. 

It was early twilight when Mrs. Delfield 
reached a friend’s house on the outskirts of 
Sharpsburg, and was told that General Lee’s 
troops were encamped a mile north of the town 
on the Hagerstown road near the Dunker 
Church, a small stone building that stood near a 
body of woods, beyond which was a field, and it 
was here that General Jackson’s troops were 
posted, and it was here that the terrible battle of 
Antietam was to take place. 

Mrs. Delfield’s friends told her that McClel¬ 
lan’s army was approaching, that on the ridge 
above Sharpsburg Union batteries were already 
mounted, and that probably Roxy was not far 
away; and within an hour of Mrs. Delfield’s ar¬ 
rival the little girl was seen approaching the 
house. 

Roxy had a long story to tell. She had re¬ 
membered that her mother’s friend, Mrs. Davis, 
lived on the edge of the town, and the young 
officer had brought her within sight of the house. 

“And, Mrs. Davis, he says that there is to be a 


AT ANT1ETAM 161 

battle, that General Burnside’s soldiers are com- 

• „ >> 

m g- 

But Mrs. Delfield interrupted Roxy’s eager 
story to ask her the name of the officer who had 
been kind to her, but Roxy shook her head. “ I 
don’t know, Mother,” she replied; “ but he knows 
my father, and he gave me these,” and Roxy drew 
two brass buttons from the pocket of her gingham 
dress. “ I’m going to keep them always,” she 
declared; “ and he said I had acted like a sol¬ 
dier ! ” and Roxy smiled happily. 

It was now too late, and Roxy was too tired, 
for them to start for home that night; and, al¬ 
though Roxy slept peacefully, her mother could 
not sleep. She knew that every hour marching 
troops were gathering for battle, and in the dim 
morning hours Jacob had the horse harnessed and 
waiting, and Roxy was again awakened before 
sunrise, and leaning sleepily against her mother’s 
shoulder as Jacob turned toward home the little 
girl whispered: 

“ I guess Polly and I won’t signal any more,” 
and Mrs. Delfield smiled as she responded: 

“ Perhaps it will be better not to,” but she felt 
very proud of the courage her little daughter had 
shown in refusing to tell the Confederate scouts 



162 


A YANKEE GIRL 


what the signals from the ledge meant, and that 
Roxy had so faithfully kept watch, hoping to 
warn her father of possible danger. To have her 
little girl safely beside her, and to realize that the 
great battle would probably now be fought miles 
away from the hillside farm made her indeed 
thankful. 

Roxy slept nearly all the way home, and as 
Grandma Miller came into the yard and lifted 
the little girl from the buggy the first person 
Roxy’s eyes rested on was the smiling Etta-Belle, 
neatly dressed in a freshly washed calico. 

“ I’se h’ar, Missy, an’ I’se gwine ter stay,” she 
announced, and a moment later a tall girl came 
racing up the slope, the sun shining on her danc¬ 
ing red hair, and Roxy ran to meet her calling: 

“Polly! Polly! I rode to Sharpsburg with 
the Union Army! ” 


CHAPTER XVI 


THE BATTLE OE ANTIETAM 

“ Mother, how many bridges cross the An- 
tietam River? ” questioned Roxy, the day after 
their return from the adventurous ride to Sharps- 
burg. Roxy was in the swing under the big but¬ 
ternut tree, and Mrs. Delfield had brought her 
sewing to the seat, resolved not to lose sight of 
her little daughter. 

“ Let me see. I think there are fourteen; the 
largest is near where the Antietam empties into 
the Potomac,” Mrs. Delfield replied thought¬ 
fully, remembering that General Lee’s troops 
coming up from their triumph at Harper’s Ferry 
had marched over this bridge to Sharpsburg, and 
knowing that on this sunny September morning 
the Southern Army was posted near the Dunker 
Church bej^ond Sharpsburg. 

On that very morning, September 15th, 1862, 
the Federal troops were appearing over the crest 
of the hill which overlooks the Antietam from the 

east; the great army of McClellan, ninety thou- 

163 


164 


A YANKEE GIRL 


sand strong, streamed down the slopes and set¬ 
tled down in sight of the Confederates; and on 
each side of the Antietam, six miles distant from 
the Miller farm, the armies were now encamped, 
and ready for the terrible battle that was to rage 
for three days. 

Mrs. Delfield was telling Roxy something of 
the story of the beautiful arched bridges of stone 
that had been built many years ago across the 
Antietam when Roxy jumped from the swing ex¬ 
claiming: 

“ Mother! Mother! Here are the Hinhams,” 
and ran toward the yard where the Hinhams’ 
carryall drawn by a big brown horse had just 
arrived. 

Mrs. Hinham and her little daughters were 
warmly welcomed; they were on their way home, 
as Mrs. Hinham said she was sure the farm was 
a much safer place than Sharpsburg. 

Jasmine, Myrtle and Ivy went back to the 
swing with Roxy while Mi's. Hinham and Mrs. 
Miller and the Delfields talked anxiously of the 
battle that might begin any moment; and even 
as they stood there speaking of Lee and Jackson, 
of McClellan and Burnside, the generals in com¬ 
mand, the rumble of distant artillery sounded 


165 


AT ANTIETAM 

upon the air. From time to time during the day 
they heard these echoing guns, but it was not 
until the next day, the 16th of September, that 
the great battle of Antietam really began. 

Jasmine and Myrtle listened eagerly to the 
story of Roxy’s adventures since they had last 
met, and when she told them of the ledge where 
she had kept faithful watch, of the two squirrels 
that had become so tame, and of the house she had 
built for “ Dinah,” Jasmine and Myrtle both ex¬ 
claimed that they wished they could visit the 
ledge. 

“ Perhaps we can; I’ll ask Mother,” said Roxy, 
and ran to the porch where the family were gath¬ 
ered. 

44 But the ledge is a mile from here; it will be 
too far for Myrtle and Ivy to w T alk,” Mrs. Del- 
field said, but Roxy quickly responded: 

44 Myrtle and Ivy can ride on 4 Beauty.’ ” 

44 So they can; and I think Etta-Belle had bet¬ 
ter go with you,” said Mrs. Delfield, who, since 
Roxy had been carried off by the scout, was 
determined that some older person should always 
be near the little girl. 

44 May we take a lunch, Mother? ” Roxy whis¬ 
pered, and Mrs. Delfield replied that she must 


166 


A YANKEE GIRL 


ask Dulcie, and the little girl ran to the kitchen 
where Duleie and Etta-Belle were chattering 
about war and battles. 

“ Dar won' be no slaves w*en dis war end,” 
Roxy heard Etta-Belle declare; “ niggers’ll hev 
to look out fer derselves if Massa Linkum hev his 
way.” 

Dulcie went off to the pantry to prepare the 
luncheon and Etta-Belle was well pleased to go 
with the girls to the distant ledge. 

“ Beauty ” whinnied in evident delight as Jas¬ 
mine and Myrtle ran toward him, and with 
Myrtle and Ivy mounted on his broad back and 
Jasmine and Roxy walking beside him, while 
Etta-Belle carrying the basket of luncheon fol¬ 
lowed on behind, the little party started down the 
lane, but came to a sudden stop when Roxy heard 
her father calling: 

“Roxy! Roxy!” 

“ Yes, Father? ” she called back. 

“No signalling, remember! ” 

“ Oh, Father! May I not signal to Polly to 
come to the ledge? ” 

“ No, indeed.” Captain Delfield’s voice was 
firm. “ Remember, Roxy: not a signal. Prom- 


167 


AT ANTIETAM 

“All right, Father. I won’t signal,” Roxy 
promised, but she was greatly disappointed; she 
had told Jasmine that she would let her signal 
to Polly, and Jasmine now said: 

“ I can signal, can’t I, Roxy? ” 

Roxy shook her head. “No, Father said: ‘ No 
signalling/ so we can’t,” and for a few moments 
the girls walked on in silence, while behind them 
Etta-Belle sang: 

“ De yam will grow, de cotton blow, 

We’ll raise de rice an’ corn, 

Oh! Nebber yo’ fear if nebber yo’ hear 
De driver blow his horn.” 

Etta-Belle had been born a slave; her early 
home had been in South Carolina, and she never 
told anyone how she had found her way to the 
hills of Maryland. Dulcie was sure that Etta- 
Belle had run away from the plantation where 
she had lived a slave; but the negro woman kept 
her secret. She now declared that she was 
“ gwine ter b’long ter Missy Roxy, an’ take keer 
ob her,” and she smiled broadlv whenever the lit- 
tie girls turned to speak to her. 

The little party rested at the old sycamore, and 
then started up the slope to the ledge. Jasmine 


168 


A YANKEE GIRL 


and Myrtle climbed sturdily to the top, but little 
Ivy had to be carried most of the way by Etta- 
Belle, and Roxy dragged the basket of lunch, 
lifting it to rocks above her, or pulling it up from 
shelving ledges over which she had climbed. 

They were all tired when they reached the 
scrubby oak tree, where they found “ Dinah ” 
safely resting in her own house. The squirrels 
could be heard scolding, and soon ventured from 
their hiding-places when Roxy called their names 
and put bits of gingerbread where they could see 
it. 

Ivy was delighted when one of the squirrels was 
coaxed near enough to nibble a piece of ginger¬ 
bread that she held toward him on the end of a 
stick, and wanted Roxy to catch him and carry 
him home. But Roxy shook her head. 

“ That would make him a prisoner, and I 

wouldn’t do that,” she said, and told the story of 

the Yankee boy whom she had fed and helped on 

his way. “ The squirrel would hate being shut 

up just as much as that Yankee soldier did,* she 

said soberlv. 

%> 

“ Oh, Roxy, what wonderful things happen to 
you!” exclaimed Jasmine admiringly. “Just 
think, finding the Yankee soldier, and being taken 


AT ANTIETAM 169 

away from this ledge by a Confederate scout, and 
then riding to Sharpsburg with Union soldiers! ” 
and Jasmine gave a little sigh. “ Why do you 
s’pose, Roxy, so much happens to you? ” 

But Roxy shook her head soberly; she was 
thinking that none of her adventures had been 
very pleasant ones, excepting helping the Yankee 
soldier. 

“ I don’t know,” she replied, and as both the 
squirrels at that moment made a flying leap to 
Jasmine’s shoulder the little girl was too well 
entertained to ask any more questions; but Roxy 
wondered, as she often did, if her Yankee soldier 
had reached safety and if she would ever see him 
again. 

The little Hinham girls thought the ledge a 
fine playhouse, and when Roxy opened the bas¬ 
ket and spread the luncheon on a smooth rock 
near Dinah’s house they danced around it hap¬ 
pily, singing the song they had sung on the day 
that Roxy had made her unexpected visit to the 
Hinham place: 

“ I heard fairy bells ringing— 

And fairies were singing, 

And dancing and bringing 
Fairy honey to the one 
Who wore the gold crown.” 


170 


A YANKEE GIRL 

Etta-Belle looked on in smiling delight, think¬ 
ing to herself that the Confederate scouts had 
brought her good fortune when they brought 
Roxy to her cabin. 

Before the girls had finished their luncheon 
they all noticed a huge bird circling about high 
over their heads. 

“ It’s an eagle,” said Roxy; and then Jasmine 
remembered that in the spring an eagle had 
swooped down and carried off a young lamb from 
a field near the Hinham house. 

“ Roland says the eagles have nests on moun¬ 
tain tops, and that they are the strongest and 
bravest birds in the world,” she added. 

“He keeps coming nearer and nearer!” ex¬ 
claimed Myrtle, as the huge bird circled in the 
air above them, his wide-spread wings seeming 
to cast a shadow over the sunny ledge. 

A moment after Mvrtle’s exclamation Etta- 
Belle gave a shriek of terror and grabbed up the 
pole that Roxy had used for her signal flag; and 
she was none too soon, for the eagle with a wide 
swoop now darted down straight toward little 
Ivy, who with Dinah in her arms was looking up 
toward this wonderful bird; but Etta-Belle’s 
strong sweep of the pole struck the bird with 


/ 


AT AN TIE TAM 


171 


sufficient force to send it from its course and its 
sharp talons did not touch Ivy; and, evidently 
surprised by the unexpected assault, the bird 
made no further attack upon the girls but floated 
off toward the distant mountain top. 

“ We’s gwine home dis instan’ minute,” Etta- 
Belle declared, her voice trembling with fear, and 
the little girls scrambled down the ledge. Roxy 
carried “ Dinah,” for she feared the eagle might 
return and make off with her treasured doll. 

“ Beauty ” was hurried toward home at a good 
pace, while Jasmine and Roxy ran on behind him; 
now and then the little girls spoke of the danger 
Ivy had escaped, and Roxy began to think that 
the ledge was not a very safe place; and when 
they reached home and the older people heard the 
story of the eagle Grandma Miller promptly de¬ 
clared that Roxy must not again visit the ledge; 
and Roxy’s mother began to think that her little 
daughter was in danger whenever she was out of 
her mother’s sight. 

In the late afternoon the Hinhams rode off to¬ 
ward home, telling Roxy that the gray pony 
could remain at the Miller farm as long as Roxy 
stayed there. 

“ It’s just the same as if ‘ Beauty ’ was really 


172 


A YANKEE GIRL 


your own pony, Roxy/’ Jasmine said smilingly, 
as the two little girls said good-bye. 

At that very moment, on the borders of the 
Antietam, his back toward the Potomac, Lee was 
making ready to meet the army of McClellan; 
and on the following morning, September 16th, 
1862, the Confederates found themselves facing 
the enemy who from the opposite side of the 
Antietam River opened fire upon them. Equal 
in courage, Northern and Southern Armies faced 
each other as the Union divisions, by bridge and 
ford, crossed the Antietam and met the Con¬ 
federates on the open field only to be driven back 
with serious losses. The brave veteran, General 
Mansfield, was killed, General Hooker severely 
wounded, and for a time it seemed that Lee would 
win the battle. 

At the stone bridge across the Antietam Gen¬ 
eral Burnside held back Lee’s forces, and pressed 
forward to the heights, and nightfall brought the 
battle to an end without either army having 
triumphed. 

All that day Roxy kept close at home. The 
sound of echoing guns told the people of the hill¬ 
side farms of the terrible battle, and they could 
think of nothing else. 


173 


AT ANTIETAM 

On the next morning, September 18th, Lee 
resolved to retreat, and on the night of the eight¬ 
eenth he crossed the Potomac by the Shepards- 
town ford into Virginia. And now for a time the 
Union Army remained quiet near Sharpsburg. 

It was on September 19th that Roland Hin- 
ham rode into the Miller yard with the news that 
Lee’s troops were crossing the Potomac into Vir- 
gina, and Grandma Miller and Mrs. Delfield at 
once began to pack baskets of food, bandages for 
the wounded soldiers in the camps beyond 
Sharpsburg, and packages of clothing upon which 
they had been at work all the summer; Mrs. 
Miller and Jacob started off early that afternoon 
with a well-filled wagon. 

“ Can’t say when we’ll be back,” Grandma 
Miller had declared, and Roxy went down to the 
stone Avail and stood there until the wagon 
vanished in the distance. 

She looked down at the old stone bridge, re¬ 
membering the day in early summer when she had 
quarrelled with Polly, and come running back to 
discover the Yankee soldier. 

“ That seems a long time ago,” thought Roxy, 
remembering all that had happened since then. 

She was just turning back to the house when 


174 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Polly, mounted on “ Brownie,” came trotting 
over the bridge, and Roxy’s solemn thoughts 
vanished as she slipped through the opening in 
the wall and ran down the slope to meet her. 

“ Polly! Polly! ” she called; “ General Lee is 
driven back from Maryland! ” 


CHAPTER XVII 


polly’s plan 

Polly had already heard the news from 
Sharpsburg, and as she brought “ Brownie ” to a 
walking pace up the lane Roxy ran along beside 
her and the two girls rejoiced that the armies had 
not come on the road leading past their homes, 
and that the battle of the Antietam, as it was 
henceforth called, had not been fought in these 
familiar fields. 

“ Brownie ” was left in the yard, and Polly and 
Roxy went to their favorite seat under the big 
butternut tree, and Polly was amazed to hear the 
story of the huge eagle that had swooped down 
so near to the top of the ledge. 

“ If it had got hold of Ivy the eagle would 
have carried her off! ” Roxy said solemnly, and 
then added: “And Grandma says I am not to go 
to the top of the ledge again; and the squirrels 
will forget all about me,” and Roxy’s smile van¬ 
ished, for she had grown fond of “ Lee ” and 

175 


176 A YANKEE GIRL 

“ Jackson ” and was sorry that she could not see 
them again. 

But Polly’s thoughts were on the errand that 
had brought her to the Miller farm, and for a 
moment she made no response to Roxy; then she 
said: 

“ Roxy, what did you do with your paper 
animals? ” 

“ They are in boxes in my closet,” replied the 
surprised Roxy, wondering why Polly wanted to 
know. 

“Well, Roxy! All those soldiers who were 
wounded are in houses and farms and tents along 
the Antietam River; some of them will have to 
stay there for days, maybe weeks, before they can 
get out; and nothing to amuse them. And, Roxy, 
I thought perhaps you could take your circus 
over, and dress up in the old white hat, and the 
blue coat and the yarn whiskers, just as you did 
for your grandma’s birthday, and go to the tents 
and tell the men about the animals. I know it 
would make them laugh and cheer them up. It 
was so funny! ” and Polly began to laugh as she 
recalled the queer little figure Roxy had made as 
she told the story of “ capturing ” the paper lions 
and elephants. 


177 


AT ANTIETAM 

“ Would you go with me, Polly? ” Roxy asked, 
wondering if she would have courage to present 
the “ circus " before strange soldiers. 

“ Yes; and probably your grandma would go 
too, if your mother did not. Let's go ask your 
father what he thinks of my plan," suggested 
Polly, and the two girls ran indoors to find 
Captain Delfield, who was resting on the old sofa 
in the sitting-room. 

He listened to Polly’s plan, and said that it was 
an excellent idea, and praised her for thinking of 
it, and called Mrs. Delfield who also declared that 
she believed the sick and wounded soldiers would 
welcome Roxy and her “ circus," and that the 
little girl could in this wav be of real service. 

“ When Grandma gets home she can tell us 
what she thinks about it; and if she approves she 
will be the best one to take you girls and make 
arrangements where Roxy shall take the 
‘ animals ’ and tell how they were 6 captured/ ” 
and a smile came over Mrs. Delfield’s face as she 
remembered how amusing Roxy’s “ circus " had 
been. 

Polly promised to ride over early the next 
morning, as the Delfields felt sure Mrs. Miller 
would return that night, and said she would be 


178 


A YANKEE GIRL 

ready to start at once for Sharpsburg, and would 
bring the tall white hat, blue coat and yarn 
“ whiskers ” for Roxy, 

Roxy went out to the yard to bid her friend 
good-bye. 

“ Oh, Polly! I hope I can do it right,” she 
said a little fearfully as Polly mounted the little 
brown horse and looked down from her seat in 
the saddle at Roxy’s sober face. 

“ Of course you’ll do it right, Roxv-Doxy. 
All you have to do is just make believe that you 
have real animals, and that you really did capture 
the lions in Africa, and the elephants in India! 
Oh, Roxy! I really want to see it again myself,” 
and Polly’s gay little laugh made Roxy forget 
her fears and smile happily. 

“ I guess I can; I am going to fix the animals 
all up this afternoon so they will be ready,” she 
said, and Polly nodded approvingly, promising 
to be over in good season the next day, and 
“ Brownie ” trotted briskly off. 

Roxy ran back to the house and brought the 
boxes of paper animals down to the sitting-room, 
and seated at her little table with her box of 
water-color paints she worked busily until dinner¬ 
time, and for the greater part of the afternoon. 


AT ANTIETAM 179 

Roxy’s thoughts travelled off to the scene of 
the recent battle, near which the Union Army was 
encamped, and she began to wonder if she would 
see any of the great generals of whom her father 
spoke: General McClellan who her father said 
had saved the Union Army; General Burnside, 
who had so bravely held the Antietam Bridge, 
over which at his command the 51st Pennsylvania 
regiment and the 51st New York had rushed at 
a double quick which the Confederates could not 
resist, and had planted the Stars and Stripes on 
the opposite bank amid cheers from every part 
of the battle-field from where they could be seen. 

The little Yankee girl began to realize that it 
would be a wonderful thing if she could really 
do something to help the soldiers who had faced 
such peril to protect the Union; and when early 
that evening Grandma Miller and Jacob reached 
home Roxy was the first to welcome them, and 
instantly began to tell Mrs. Miller of Polly’s plan 
for Roxy to take her circus to the hospital tents 
along the Antietam. 

“I declare! Polly is a jewel! It will do a 
world of good! I wish I had thought of it my¬ 
self,” said Mrs. Miller. “ Many of those soldiers 
must lay in tents or in the near-by houses and 


180 


A YANKEE GIRL 

barns, for long days with nothing to cheer or 
amuse them. Roxy,” and Grandma Miller’s 
hand rested gently on the little girl’s shoulder as 
they walked toward the house, “ it will be a 
beautiful thing if you can make these men smile 
and, for a time, forget the cruelty of war,” she 
said. 

“ Polly says that no one could help laughing 
because I look so funny in the coat and hat and 
whiskers,” Roxy replied; and Mrs. Miller smiled 
and oAvned that Polly was right. 

Mrs. Miller had that day visited several of the 
hospital tents, and she was sure the officers in 
charge Avould welcome Roxy and her “ circus,” 
and it was decided that on the following day 
Grandma Miller should go with Polly and 
Roxy to the HagerstoAvn road beyond Sharps- 
burg. 

Polly arrived in good season the next morn¬ 
ing driving “ Brownie,” harnessed to the open 
wagon in which she had so often driven Roxy 
about the country roads. Roxy’s circus costume, 
high hat, long blue coat and “ whiskers,” were in 
a box under the wagon-seat, and Roxy brought 
out her boxes containing the paper animals, and 
Grandma Miller had baskets of fruit, freshly 


AT ANTIETAM 181 

baked bread, and rolls of old cotton cloth, for 
hospital use, that were packed in the back of the 
wagon; then Mrs. Miller and Roxy seated them¬ 
selves beside Polly and drove off. 

As they rode along Grandma Miller suggested 
that Roxy should repeat what she meant to say 
to the soldiers as she pointed out the animals and 
told of their capture; and as Roxy began her 
story of facing raging lions, following camels 
across the desert, and taming elephants, both 
Mrs. Miller and Polly laughed in delight. 

Polly suggested one or two amusing descrip¬ 
tions for Roxy to add to her story, and so did 
Grandma Miller, and when thev reached the 
historic town of Sharpsburg, with its old houses 
of stone or brick, its arched doorways and square 
porches with Colonial pillars, and began to see 
Union soldiers everywhere, Roxy was gaining 
courage and began to feel sure that she could 
describe imaginary dangers without even smiling 
at them. 

Mrs. Miller directed Polly to follow the road 
leading north, toward Hagerstown, and told her 
to stop near a group of tents where sentinels 
paced slowly back and forth. One of these men 
smilingly answered Mrs. Miller’s questions. 


182 


A YANKEE GIRL 


“ Yes/’ he said, “ General McClellan was in his 
tent,” and he would take him any message the 
ladies might wish delivered. 

“ Perhaps you will let my little granddaughter 
carry my message,” suggested Grandma Miller, 
and the sentinel said the little girl could go to the 
general’s tent with him, and helped the surprised 
Roxy from the wagon. 

“ You can tell the general your plan, Roxy, 
and ask his permission,” said Mrs. Miller, and 
before Roxy had time to ask a question she was 
hand in hand with the tall soldier walking toward 
a small tent in front of which stood two more 
sentinels one of whom, at w r ord from Roxy’s com¬ 
panion, entered the tent; and a moment later 
Roxy found herself gazing up into the kindly 
dark eyes of the great General George B. Mc¬ 
Clellan. 

“ What can I do for you, little girl? ” he asked 
kindly, and Roxy made her best curtsy, and 
said: 

“ If you please, sir, I have brought a circus 
to show the wounded soldiers. I think,” she 
added quickly, “ it would make them laugh ! 99 

“ 6 Make them laugh! 9 99 repeated the general, 
and a little smile crept over his grave face. 


AT ANT1ETAM 


183 


“ Well, my child, if you can do that for my poor 
boys you will be doing me the greatest possible 
service. Come in and tell me about it,” and 
Roxy followed him into the tent and eagerly be¬ 
gan her story, to which the war-worn and tired 
general listened with interest, and when Roxy 
finished by asking anxiously if he thought her 
“ circus ” would not amuse the men in the hos¬ 
pital tents, adding: “ I guess I look funny 
enough in the long blue coat and high white hat 
and whiskers to make anybody laugh,” General 
McClellan answered quickly: “ I would like to 
see the circus myself, and I will go with you to 
the hospital tent near the Dunker Church. But 
what is your name, little girl? ” 

“ Roxana Delfield. My father is a Union 
soldier, and he was wounded and we are at 
Grandma Miller’s,” she replied, as she walked 
beside the friendly soldier to where Grandma and 
Polly were anxiously waiting. 

“Where is your real home?” continued the 
general, and Roxy smilingly responded: 

“lama Yankee girl; that is what everybody 
calls me, because my home is in Massachusetts.” 

Before the general could reply Grandma 
Miller came hurrying to meet them, and Roxy 


184 


A YANKEE GIRL 


heard the general thank her for her thought for 
his suffering men, and tell her that they needed 
cheer and entertainment as much as they needed 
care and medicine. 

“ Brownie ” was led off by one of the soldiers, 
and another took charge of Roxy’s boxes, while 
Grandma Miller, Polly and Roxy, carrying the 
baskets of fruit and food, followed General Mc¬ 
Clellan to the little stone church near the woods. 
One of the army doctors came hurrying to meet 
them, and quickly pointed out the tents where 
Roxy’s circus would be welcomed, and Polly 
helped Roxy make ready. 

“ Don’t be afraid, Roxy. Just make believe, 
remember, that you really did capture the lions,” 
said Polly smilingly, as General McClellan 
pointed out the first tent they were to enter. 

Polly and Roxy, carrying the boxes of paper 
animals, went in and General McClellan gravely 
introduced Roxy as “ Signor Delroxana, who has 
kindly brought his troupe of wild animals to 
amuse you.” 

There was a murmur of laughter and exclama¬ 
tions of amusement from the rough cots where 
the soldiers lay as Roxy, in her queer costume, 
bowed to right and left, and, with Polly’s help, 


185 


AT ANT1ETAM 

arranged her procession of animals on a long 
narrow table. When she picked up the hazel 
stick, that Polly had brought, and faced the 
eager-eyed men, who were all delighted and 
amused by this unexpected entertainment, and 
when Roxy gravely announced: “Gentlemen, 

these animals are not dangerous-” there was 

a burst of laughter and applause that made it 
difficult for Roxy not to laugh with them; but 
she remembered that would spoil it all, and she 
went on with the story of her adventures, inter¬ 
rupted now and then by the laughter of her 
listeners. 

That day Roxy visited a number of tents, and 
the circus was evidently approved of by the sol¬ 
diers, and bv the anxious and tired doctors who 
thanked the little Yankee girl, and urged her to 
come again. 

It was early twilight when Grandma Miller, 
Polly and Roxy, accompanied by a young officer 
in whose care General McClellan had left them, 
stood near the little stone church while 
“ Brownie ” was being harnessed. 

The young officer helped them into the wagon, 
and, raising his cap, stood smiling up at Roxy. 

“You don’t remember me, do you, little 



186 


A YANKEE GIRL 


Yankee girl? ” he asked, and Roxy's face was 
for a moment grave and questioning, and then 
she smiled radiantly. 

“Yes, yes, I do! You are the Yankee 
prisoner! ” she declared. 

“Who you helped escape!" he added, and 
he then told them that his name was Philip 
Carver, and he briefly described his flight to 
safety, and earnestly thanked the little girl who 
had brought him food, and, as he declared, saved 
his life. 

“ I meant to get a day’s leave and ride over to 
your farm before leaving here on purpose to 
thank you," he added, and Mrs. Miller urged him 
to visit the farm and he gladly promised; and 
now they bade him a friendly good-bye and 
started for home. 

“ It has been a wonderful day," Polly declared, 
as “ Brownie " trotted swiftly through Sharps- 
burg along the road leading to the distant farm. 
“ Just think, General McClellan shook hands 
with us, and praised Roxy! We will always re¬ 
member to-day, won’t we, Roxy? 99 

“ Pie praised you too, Polly!" Roxy eagerly 
declared. “ I told him it was your plan to bring 
the circus, and he said you were a noble gfrl ! 99 


AT ANT IET AM 187 

Polly laughed happily. “ I will remember 
that,” she said. 

Roxy was tired out, and before they reached 
the farm she was nodding with sleep, and when 
Etta-Belle came running to lift her from the 
wagon Roxy was quite ready to let the negro 
woman carry her into the house. 

But once indoors before the open fire she be¬ 
came wide awake and eager to tell her mother 
and father all the events of the exciting day: of 
General McClellan, and his friendly message to 
her father, and of all the laughter her “ circus ” 
had brought from the amused soldiers. 

“ And best of all, Father, I found the Yankee 
prisoner. His name is Philip Carver, and he is 
coming t© spend the day,” she concluded happily. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


A VISITOR 

It was now late September, and the fertile 
country along the Antietam was in full autumn 
beauty. Harvests had been gathered, and fields 
of yellow stubble were golden under the Sep¬ 
tember sun, and the distant mountains each day 
showed new shades of jewel-like blues when 
young Lieutenant Carver kept his promise to 
visit the Miller farm, and sitting on the porch 
beside Captain Delfield he pointed out the 
thicket of laurel near the highway where he had 
concealed himself, and where Roxy had brought 
him food; and he listened to the story of Roxy’s 
adventure on the ledge when the Confederate 
scout had discovered her signalling, and had tried 
to make the little girl tell the reason for her being 
stationed on the top of the ledge day after 
day. 

“ And I really think that Roxy may have saved 

me a good bit of trouble,” said Captain Delfield. 

188 


189 


AT ANTIETAM 

“ If those Confederate scouts had discovered a 
Union soldier here they might have carried me 
off to Richmond; but Roxy’s resolve not to let 
them know her secret kept me out of danger,” and 
he smiled down at his little daughter who was sit¬ 
ting on the porch steps, and had been listening 
eagerly, and now felt that her long lonely days 
on the distant ledge, her fears when carried away 
by the Confederate scout, had been indeed worth 
while if they had saved her father from the danger 
of being taken a prisoner. She remembered 
Etta-Belle’s rough cabin in the lonely field, and 
that the negro woman had been friendless and 
alone until Roxy’s coming had brought her to 
the Miller farm where she had found a home and 
could remain in safety. And while Lieutenant 
Carver and Captain Delfield talked of President 
Lincoln’s recent Proclamation of Emancipation, 
that declared the freedom of all negroes held in 
slavery in the United States, Roxy’s thoughts 
dwelt happily on all the events of the past sum¬ 
mer, and she resolved that she would that very 
day begin a letter to Amy Fletcher, in far-off 
Newbury port, and tell her of all the adventures 
that had befallen a little Yankee girl during her 
visit to Antietam. 


190 


A YANKEE GIRL 


When Dulcie came to say that dinner was 
ready the young lieutenant held out his hand to 
Roxy and they walked into the dining-room to¬ 
gether. 

It was the best dinner that Dulcie could pre¬ 
pare. There were fried chicken, and creamed 
potatoes, late peas, and stewed com. There were 
three kinds of jelly, hot batter-bread and fresh 
butter; there was new cider right from the press, 
and steamed apple dumplings with cream sauce. 
It was no wonder that the young soldier, who had 
lived on camp fare and who had known the 
hunger of a man in prison, declared it the finest 
dinner he had ever tasted. “ But,” he added 
laughingly, with a nod toward Roxy, “ nothing 
can ever again taste as good to me as that cold 
chicken that this little Yankee girl brought me 
as I lay hidden behind the laurels with my pur¬ 
suers almost within reach of me.” 

In the afternoon Grandma Miller and Roxy 
walked to the ledge with Lieutenant Carver, and 
from the top Roxy once more signalled to Polly, 
who by good fortune happened to see the signal 
and waved in response, and the soldier declared 
that he did not wonder the Confederate scouts 
had been misled by Roxy’s signalling, and had 


191 


AT ANTIETAM 

believed her to have been stationed there by 
Yankee soldiers. 

“Lee” and “Jackson,” the gray squirrels, were 
not to be seen, much to Roxy’s disappointment; 
but Grandma Miller admired Dinah’s house, and 
suggested that it would be a good plan for Roxy 
to build one like it, only perhaps larger, under 
the butternut tree, and Roxy decided that she 
would begin it on the following day. 

On their return to the house it was time for 
Lieutenant Carver to start back for camp, and he 
bade them all a grateful good-bye, and again de¬ 
clared that but for Roxy’s kindness and courage 
he could not have evaded his pursuers and made 
his escape. 

They all stood on the porch and watched him 
ride away; and after Grandma Miller and Roxy’s 
father and mother had entered the house the 
little girl wandered down the slope and stood by 
the wall from which place she could see the road 
stretching out like a gray ribbon toward the 
distant hills. 

Roxy smiled to herself as she stood here, for 
she had only pleasant things to think of as she 
remembered the delight of the wounded soldiers 
in her “ circus,” the words of praise the great 


192 


A YANKEE GIRL 


general of the Union Army, George B. Mc¬ 
Clellan, had given her, and, best of all, she 
thought happily, was the fact that Philip Carver 
had said that but for her help he would not have 
escaped. 

As she stood there Polly’s familiar call sounded 
from the highway “ Who-whoo-who! ” and Roxy 
quickly responded and a moment later Polly 
came running up the slope. 

“ Here I am, Roxy-Doxy,” she called smil¬ 
ingly. “ I came over to hear all about the Yankee 
soldier.” And hand in hand the girl whose home 
was in the Maryland hills, and the little Yankee 
girl walked toward the swing under the big 
butternut tree. 


The Stories in this Series are: 

A YANKEE GIRL AT FORT SUMTER 
A YANKEE GIRL AT BULL RUN 
A YANKEE GIRL AT SHILOH 
A YANKEE GIRL AT ANTIETAM 
A YANKEE GIRL AT GETTYSBURG 

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